靜 (jìng) — quiet, still, calm

entries → 靜

TSUMUGU · TOCFL 2 (est.) · 字

靜 character · TOCFL 2 (est.)

靜＝青＋爭

ㄐㄧㄥˋ · jìng

adj — quiet, still, calm

字源 FORM — what the parts do

青義clear blue-green — the colour of stillness

爭聲zhēng — gives the sound; a contest of two hands over one thing

{z,c,s}ITzhēng → jìng — the sibilant initial reshaped; tone shifts too

Clear blue-green (青), the colour of a settled sky, beside 爭 zhēng — two hands pulling at one thing, a contest — which carries the sound. The struggle resolves and clears: everything settles to quiet, still, calm (安靜、寧靜).

故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by

爭搶停了，天色（青）一寸寸澄清，整片安靜下來。

The tug-of-war (爭) lets go, the blue (青) clears by degrees, and everything settles into stillness.

字源記憶法

意 · Meanings

(本義)安靜、寂靜— quiet, still常用

→平靜、冷靜— calm, composed

→寧靜— serene, tranquil

(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension