Chinese word

僵硬

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiāng yìng

Meaning

  • adjectivestiff

Example

僵硬的手指很难弯。jiāng yìng de shóu zhǐ hěn nán wān

Stiff fingers are hard to bend.

Illustration for 僵硬 (stiff)

More examples

他做事的动作有点僵硬，看起来不太自然。tā zuò shì de dòng zuò yóu diǎn jiāng yìng kàn qǐ lái bú tài zì rán

His movements are a little awkward and do not look very natural.

Core concept

Something that should bend or move smoothly becomes fixed and loses its natural flow.

Common phrases

  • 动作僵硬dòng zuò jiāng yìng

    awkward movements

  • 笑容僵硬xiào róng jiāng yìng

    forced smile

Similar words

生硬shēng yìng: Speech, wording, or behavior that feels unnatural and awkward.
尴尬gān gà: Feeling uneasy and not knowing how to behave in an uncomfortable situation.
死板sí bǎn: Unable to adapt easily in thinking or behavior.

Definition in Chinese

既可以指身体、关节因寒冷或紧张而变得不灵活，也可以指动作或表情显得不自然、僵滞的状态。jì ké yǐ zhǐ shēn tǐ guān jié yīn hán lěng huò jǐn zhāng ér biàn de bù líng huó yě ké yǐ zhǐ dòng zuò huò biǎo qíng xiǎn de bú zì rán jiāng zhì de zhuàng tài

Word origin

僵 (jiāng, "stiff or stuck") + 硬 (yìng, "hard") combines physical hardness with a sense of being fixed, extending from the body to unnatural movement or expression.

Usage tips

  • In conversational descriptions, degree words such as 有点 (yǒudiǎn, "a little") make the judgment less blunt, as in saying that a movement or expression seems slightly unnatural.

Other meanings

  • rigidadjective
  • awkwardadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word