井 meaning in English

jǐng

a well; neat

HSK 6noun4 strokes

Meaning of 井

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

jǐng

a well
neat
orderly

Measure word: 口

Jǐng

Jing, one of the 28 constellations of Chinese astronomy
surname Jing

How to use 井

井 (jǐng) usually appears in compounds like 水井 (shuǐjǐng, water well), 油井 (yóujǐng, oil well), and 矿井 (kuàngjǐng, mine shaft). It also shows up in the idiom 井井有条 (jǐngjǐngyǒutiáo), meaning neat and orderly. Example: 他的房间井井有条。(Tā de fángjiān jǐngjǐngyǒutiáo.) His room is neat and tidy.

井 looks like two horizontal and two vertical lines crossing, like the wooden frame built around the top of a well. Picture looking down from above at that square frame with the water in the middle.

Common mistake: Learners sometimes confuse 井 (jǐng) with 并 (bìng, and, also), which has two short strokes on top instead of crossing lines. Also keep the third tone in jǐng, not the fourth tone of 静 (jìng, quiet).

井 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

他tā终zhōng于yú到dào了le绝jué望wàng之zhī井jǐng。

At last, he arrived at the Well of Despair.

王wáng老lǎo师shī喝hē着zhe从cóng中zhōng国guó带dài来lái的de龙lóng井jǐng茶chá。

Teacher Wang is drinking the Longjing tea (he) brought from China.

他tā每měi年nián都dōu去qù轻qīng井jǐng泽zé。

He goes to Karuizawa every year.

这zhè口kǒu井jǐng里lǐ的de水shuǐ很hěn少shǎo。

There was little water in the well.

这zhè口kǒu井jǐng里lǐ没méi有yǒu水shuǐ。

There's no water in the well.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

井 jǐng · a well · 4 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 井.

矿井	kuàngjǐng	a mine; a mine shaft
钻井	zuānjǐng	to drill (e.g. for oil); a borehole
油井	yóujǐng	oil well
水井	shuǐjǐng	(water) well
井井有条	jǐngjǐngyǒutiáo	everything clear and orderly (idiom); neat and tidy
落井下石	luòjǐngxiàshí	to throw stones at sb who has fallen down a well (idiom); to hit a person when he's down

Questions about 井

What does 井 mean?

井 (jǐng) means "a well; neat" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 井?

井 is made of 1 character: 井 (4 strokes). That is 4 strokes in total.

Is 井 an HSK word?

Yes. 井 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

Is 井 the same as the # symbol?

The shapes look alike, and Chinese speakers often call the # key 井号 (jǐnghào). The meaning is different though, since 井 itself means a well.

What does 落井下石 mean?

落井下石 (luòjǐngxiàshí) literally means to throw stones down on someone who has fallen into a well. It is used to criticize someone who attacks a person already in trouble, like saying hit a person when he is down.