襟

jīn
禁 + 衤

Definitions

jīn (noun) lapel; collar; front of garment
jīn (verb) to cherish (ambitions, feelings) in one's heart

Etymology

Cloth 衤 that restricts 禁; 禁 also provides the pronunciation

About

襟 (jīn) is a phono-semantic compound: the cloth radical 衤 (yī) signals its relation to clothing, while 禁 (jìn) means "restrict" and provides the pronunciation, together evoking a piece of cloth that confines. Originally, it denoted the lapel or front panel of a traditional Chinese robe that overlaps and fastens across the chest. Because the lapel rests over the heart, the character gained the figurative meaning of one's inner thoughts, emotional depth, and broad-minded aspirations.

Example Sentences Hide

她的衣襟很整洁。

Tā de yījīn hěn zhěngjié.

Her lapel is very neat.

他整理了一下衣襟。

Tā zhěnglǐ le yīxià yījīn.

He straightened his lapel.

他的胸襟很宽广。

Tā de xiōngjīn hěn kuānguǎng.

His mind is very broad.

他们是连襟关系。

Tāmen shì liánjīn guānxì.

They are brothers-in-law.

飞机襟翼已经展开。

Fēijī jīnyì yǐjīng zhǎnkāi.

The aircraft flaps have been deployed.

她用手轻轻抚平衣襟。

Tā yòng shǒu qīngqīng fǔpíng yījīn.

She gently smoothed her lapel with her hand.

他的襟怀坦白令人敬佩。

Tā de jīnhuái tǎnbái lìngrén jìngpèi.

His open-mindedness is admirable.

在困难面前，他展现了广阔的胸襟。

Zài kùnnan miànqián, tā zhǎnxiàn le guǎngkuò de xiōngjīn.

In the face of difficulties, he demonstrated a broad mind.

Related Characters

Component: 禁

噤

Component: 衤

被 初 补 袖 裕 裤 衫 裸 袍 裙 衬 褐 袜 褂

Example Words

胸襟 捉襟见肘 衣襟 襟怀 开襟 对襟 襟度 襟翼 连襟 开襟衫