(píng jìng) - calm, tranquil, still in Mandarin
píngjìngTraditional: 平靜
Translation
calm, tranquil, still
Word origin
A compound of 平 (píng, level, flat) and 静 (jìng, still, quiet), a surface that is both flat and unmoving.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 平 (píng, level) + 静 (jìng, still)
Stroke order
平
静
Examples
湖。
The surface of the lake is perfectly calm.
。
Her voice was very calm.
，渐渐。
The wind dropped and the sea gradually grew calm.
。
He tried hard to calm himself down.
，村。
After that incident the village returned to calm.
平静 (píng jìng) describes a calm that is the absence of disturbance: a still sea, a steady voice, a settled mind. It works on water, on weather, on a mood and on a whole town after trouble has passed.
The useful pattern is 平静下来, to calm down, where 下来 marks the change of state. 他平静下来了 means he has calmed down, while 他很平静 simply reports that he is calm now.
English speakers reach for 平静 when they mean quiet, and that is the trap. 安静 (ān jìng) is quiet in the sense of no noise; 平静 is calm in the sense of no agitation. A library is 安静, not 平静, unless you mean the mood inside it.
Where this fits
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Go to my review queueMandarin · Free printables
平静: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "平静" (calm, tranquil, still): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 60.