僵硬
jiāng yìng HSK 6

English Meaning

📚 Example Sentences

他的表情显得很僵硬。
Tā de biǎoqíng xiǎnde hěn jiāngyìng.
His expression appears very stiff.
长时间坐着让身体僵硬。
Cháng shíjiān zuòzhe ràng shēntǐ jiāngyìng.
Sitting for a long time makes the body rigid.
僵硬的制度需要改革。
Jiāngyìng de zhìdù xūyào gǎigé.
The rigid system needs reform.
我的脖子僵硬。
Wǒ de bózi jiāngyìng.
My neck is stiff.
他的表情很僵硬。
Tā de biǎoqíng hěn jiāngyìng.
His expression is very stiff.

💡 Memory Tip

Think of the character 僵 (jiāng), which contains 亻 (person) and suggests a person frozen in place, combined with 硬 (yìng) meaning hard. Imagine a person standing stiffly like a hard board to remember 'stiff and rigid'.

📝 Usage Notes

This word is neutral in formality and can be used in both spoken and written Chinese. It is commonly used in contexts describing physical stiffness (e.g., muscles, joints after inactivity), rigid postures, or inflexible thinking, behaviors, or systems.

📖 Grammar Points

僵硬 is typically used as a predicate adjective (e.g., 脖子僵硬) or as an attributive (e.g., 僵硬的动作). It can be modified by degree adverbs like 很, 非常, or 有点 to indicate intensity.

🏯 Cultural Notes

In Chinese culture, describing someone's attitude or behavior as 僵硬 may imply criticism for being overly formal, unyielding, or lacking in warmth or adaptability, which is often discouraged in social interactions.

🔄 Similar Words

Compared to 生硬 (shēngyìng), which emphasizes unnaturalness or awkwardness (e.g., in manner or language), 僵硬 focuses more on literal or figurative stiffness and lack of flexibility. 坚固 (jiāngù) means sturdy or solid, often for objects, without the connotation of inflexibility.

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