井 jǐng a well
a well; neat; orderly
How it came to be
The cribbing round the mouth of a well seen from above: four timbers laid across each other to keep the sides from falling in.
How it is used
- A well (for water) - 水井 (shuǐjǐng) water well; 一口井 (yì kǒu jǐng) a well (measure word 口).
- Pictographs the well's frame. Famous idiom 井底之蛙 (jǐngdǐ zhī wā) 'a frog at the bottom of a well' - someone with a narrow worldview. Also 井井有条 (jǐngjǐng-yǒutiáo) neat and orderly.