How to Write 颈 (jǐng) — Meaning “neck”

Imagine a person turning their head sideways (like a 巠 shape) to show the neck, and 页 looks like a head with a neck below it. So think: 'A neck is the page (页) that connects the head to the body, and it twists like the shape 巠.'

The left side 巠 has a horizontal stroke then a vertical stroke, followed by two horizontal strokes, and the right side 页 starts with a horizontal stroke that is slightly above the left side. A common mistake is making the left and right halves the same height — the right 页 should be a bit taller, especially its last two strokes (撇 and 点).

Both 颈 and 项 mean 'neck', but 颈 (jǐng) generally refers to the whole neck, while 项 (xiàng) specifically means the back of the neck. In modern usage, 颈 is more common in medical terms (e.g., 颈椎 'cervical vertebra'), whereas 项 appears in words like 项目 'project' (unrelated meaning).

颈 is most often used in formal or medical contexts, such as 颈部 (neck area), 颈椎 (cervical spine), and the common metaphor 瓶颈 (bottleneck, literally 'bottle neck'). You won't use it in casual conversation (people say 脖子 for 'neck'), but it appears in written language and compound words.

Common words containing 颈 include: 颈部 (jǐng bù) — neck area / neck; 瓶颈 (píng jǐng) — bottleneck; 颈椎 (jǐng chuí) — cervical vertebra.