How to Write 经 (jīng) — Meaning “To pass through, classics, or manage”

Imagine a silk thread (纟) that goes straight through a piece of cloth, like a "warp" thread — this action of passing through is 经. You can also think of a "classic" book bound with silk threads, linking the character to both "pass through" and "classics."

Start with the left radical 纟: write it narrow, with three strokes (horizontal fold, small horizontal, vertical hook). The right side 巠 has a dot on top, then three horizontal strokes with a vertical line going through all of them — make sure the vertical line is straight and the bottom horizontal is slightly longer than the middle one.

Compared to 纡 (yū, meaning "circuitous"), 经 has a more complex right side with a vertical line through horizontal strokes, while 纡 has 于 (yú) on the right. Against 红 (hóng, "red"), 红 uses 工 (gōng) on the right, which is simpler and lacks the vertical line. In usage, 经 is common in daily words ("often", "manager"), whereas 纡 is rare and classical.

You will see 经 often in words like 经常 (jīngcháng, "frequently") and 经过 (jīngguò, "to pass through" or "process"). It also appears in business titles such as 经理 (jīnglǐ, "manager") and in cultural references like 经典 (jīngdiǎn, "classic"), reflecting its root in weaving and timeless texts.

Common words containing 经 include: 经常 (jīng cháng) — Often or frequently; 经过 (jīng guò) — To pass through; the process.; 经理 (jīng lǐ) — Manager.