竟
jìng
#705 most
frequent character
actually, unexpectedly
adverb
Character breakdown
Source: Make Me a Hanzi.
竟 first showed a tattoo knife 辛 above a person 儿, and meant tattooing someone's face as a punishment. The knife later changed shape into 音, which now does nothing. The modern senses, from 'to end' to 'directly', all came by sound loan.
Drawn as: tattoo knife over person
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Example Sentences
我竟然忘记了他的生日。
wǒ jìngrán wàngjì le tāde shēngrì 。
I actually forgot his birthday.
她居然竟然在这里遇见了我。
tā jūrán jìngrán zài zhèlǐ yùjiàn le wǒ 。
She unexpectedly met me here.
你竟敢在课堂上睡觉！
nǐ jìnggǎn zài kètáng shàng shuìjiào ！
You actually dare to sleep in class!
Words with similar meanings
Words Starting With 竟
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