针 (zhēn): needle
针 (zhēn) is a Chinese character meaning “needle.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 钅 (structural) and 十 (structural). It ranks #1115 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 针 a metal 钅 pin 十. Its radical form 钅 (metal) appears in many related characters such as 钱 (qián, money), 错 (cuò, wrong, mistake), 钟 (zhōng, clock, bell).
Definitions
- needle
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 针 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 针
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 针头noun | zhēn tóu | tip of a needle |
| 别针noun | bié zhēn | pin |
| 指南针noun | zhǐ nán zhēn | compass |
| 针灸noun | zhēn jiǔ | acupuncture and moxibustion |
| 大海捞针phrase | dà hǎi lāo zhēn | lit. to fish a needle from the sea |
| 方针noun | fāng zhēn | policy |
| 针孔noun | zhēn kǒng | pinhole |
| 针锋相对phrase | zhēn fēng xiāng duì | to oppose each other with equal harshness (idiom) |
| 时针noun | shí zhēn | hand of a clock |
| 指针noun | zhǐ zhēn | pointer on a gauge |
| 预防针noun | yù fáng zhēn | immunization injection |
| 探针noun | tàn zhēn | probe |
| 一针见血 | yī zhēn jiàn xiě | lit. to draw blood on the first prick (idiom) |
| 针织verb | zhēn zhī | knitting |
| 撞针noun | zhuàng zhēn | firing pin |
针 appears in 100 compound words: 33 as the first character, 56 as the last, and 11 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 针 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (10)
lit. to draw blood on the first prick (idiom); fig. to hit the nail on the head
to grind an iron bar down to a fine needle (idiom); fig. to persevere in a difficult task; to study diligently
lit. to draw blood on the first prick (idiom); fig. to hit the nail on the head
Showing 8 of 10 idioms containing 针.
Example Sentences
护士给他打了一针，说是预防流感的疫苗。
Hùshi gěi tā dǎ le yì zhēn, shuō shì yùfáng liúgǎn de yìmiáo.
The nurse gave him a shot, saying it was a flu vaccine.
打瘦瘦针酿眼出血? 医揭62岁男左眼“全黑”:几...
dǎ shòu shòu zhēn niàng yǎn chū xiě ? yī jiē 6 2 suì nán zuǒ yǎn quán hēi : jī . . .
Eye bleeding caused by slimming injections? The doctor revealed that the 62-year-old man's left eye was "all black": several...
内塔尼亚胡宣布组建针对穆斯林的新联盟
nèi tǎ ní yà hú xuān bù zǔ jiàn zhēn duì mù sī lín de xīn lián méng
Netanyahu announced the formation of a new coalition against Muslims
超商换冰拿铁“店员跳针狂问2字”真相曝
chāo shāng huàn bīng ná tiě diàn yuán tiào zhēn kuáng wèn 2 zì zhēn xiāng pù
The truth of the supermarket changing ice latte "the clerk jumped the needle and asked 2 words" was exposed
科学家针对全球 95% 人口感染的 EB 病毒取...
kē xué jiā zhēn duì quán qiú 9 5 rén kǒu gǎn rǎn de E B bìng dú qǔ . . .
Scientists have targeted the EBV virus infected by 95% of the world's population.
...年卖出800多只点翠大蟑螂,还推出苍蝇胸针、..
. . . nián mài chū duō zhī diǎn cuì dà 蟑 螂 , hái tuī chū cāng yíng xiōng zhēn . .
... Selling more than 800 large cockroaches in a year, they also offer fly brooches,...
宝石师傅在胸针上镶了一枚大珍珠。
Bǎoshí shīfu zài xiōngzhēn shàng xiāng le yī méi dà zhēnzhū.
The jeweler mounted a big pearl in the brooch.
我的手抖得太厉害，没法穿针了。
Wǒ de shǒu dǒu de tài lìhai, méifǎ chuān zhēn le.
My hands were shaking too much to thread the needle.
指南针的指针指向北边。
Zhǐnánzhēn de zhǐzhēn zhǐxiàng běibiān.
Compass needles point to the north.
我们应该禁止针对儿童的广告。
Wǒmen yīnggāi jìnzhǐ zhēnduì értóng de guǎnggào.
We should ban advertising aimed towards children.
Character Family
钅 Radical Family — Characters sharing the metal radical
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 针 (zhēn) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 针 have?
What is the radical of 针?
What are the components of 针?
What are common words containing 针?
What characters sound the same as 针 (zhēn)?
Is 针 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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