How to Write 胫 (jìng) — Meaning “shin; shank”

Imagine the right part 巠 looks like a leg with two bones crossing, and the left part 月 is flesh covering them, like your shin. You can also think "jìng" sounds like "jingle" – picture jingle bells tied around your shin. This visual helps connect the form to the meaning.

Write the left radical 月 first with 4 strokes: left-falling stroke, horizontal hook, then two horizontals. Then write the right part 巠 with 5 strokes: horizontal-bent, vertical, horizontal, vertical, horizontal. A common mistake is making the right side too wide – keep it narrow and balanced with the left. Also ensure the middle vertical in 巠 is straight.

胫 (shin) has the right side 巠, while 朊 (a chemical term for protein) has the right side 元, and 朋 (friend) has two 月 side by side. Visually, 胫's right part is more complex with crossing strokes, while 朋 is just two identical halves. Their meanings are completely different, so focus on the right side to distinguish them.

胫 appears in anatomy terms like 胫骨 (tibia, shinbone) and in the idiom 不胫而走 (literally 'to run without legs'), meaning news or rumors spread quickly. It is not common in daily conversation but is used in medical, sports, or literary contexts. Knowing it helps understand Chinese body part vocabulary and idioms.

Common words containing 胫 include: 胫骨 (jìng gǔ) — tibia; shinbone; 胫甲 (jìng jiǎ) — greaves; 不胫而走 (bù jìng ér zǒu) — to spread like wildfire; to spread rapidly.