Chinese word

灵敏

Pronunciation

Pinyinlíng mǐn

Meaning

  • adjectivesensitive

Example

灵敏的传感器可以检测微弱信号。líng mǐn de chuán gǎn qì ké yǐ jiǎn cè wēi ruò xìn hào

A sensitive sensor can detect faint signals.

Illustration for 灵敏 (sensitive)

More examples

警犬的嗅觉非常灵敏，能找到隐藏的物品。jíng quǎn de xiù jué fēi cháng líng mǐn néng zhǎo dào yǐn cáng de wù pǐn

The police dog's sense of smell is very sensitive and can find hidden objects.

Core concept

A system that notices faint changes and responds quickly, like a finely tuned sensor.

Common phrases

  • 灵敏的仪器líng mǐn de yí qì

    sensitive instrument

  • 灵敏的嗅觉líng mǐn de xiù jué

    sensitive sense of smell

  • 灵敏的反应líng mǐn de fǎn yìng

    quick response

Similar words

敏感mín gǎn: Easily affected by outside stimuli or by what other people say and do.
敏锐mǐn ruì: Quick to notice changes or problems through sharp observation or senses.
机敏jī mǐn: Quick in movement and judgment, with fast responses to changing situations.
灵活líng huó: Able to change actions or ideas smoothly to suit different situations.

Definition in Chinese

表示对声音、光、温度等微小变化具有较高的感知能力，并能在短时间内产生明显反应的状态。biǎo shì duì shēng yīn guāng wēn dù děng wēi xiǎo biàn huà jù yǒu jiào gāo de gǎn zhī néng lì bìng néng zài duǎn shí jiān nèi chǎn shēng míng xiǎn fǎn yìng de zhuàng tài

Word origin

灵 (líng, "nimble and perceptive") + 敏 (mǐn, "quick and keen") combines ideas of sharp perception and fast response.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often hear sensitive as emotional or easily hurt, but this Chinese adjective is especially natural for a device, animal, or person with quick senses or reactions.

Other meanings

  • responsiveadjective

Opposites

  • 迟钝chí dùndulladjective

Related words

  • 灵敏度líng mǐn dùsensitivitynoun
  • 灵敏性líng mǐn xìngsensitivitynoun

Word lists with this word