硬 yìng firm
firm; hard; strong; stiff
How to remember 硬: 石 stone + 更 even more = firm. The boy bites into grandma's cookie, which feels like a stone, and she promises the next batch will be even more firm.
Component breakdown
硬 = 石 stone + 更 even more
- 石 stone
- 更 even more
The boy bites into grandma's cookie, which feels like a stone, and she promises the next batch will be even more firm.
How it is used
- Basic physical adjective "hard/firm": 石头很硬 (shítou hěn yìng) "the stone is hard", opposite of 软 (ruǎn) "soft" - 床很软 (chuáng hěn ruǎn) the bed is soft.
- Extends to personality/manner: 说话很硬 "speaks in a tough/uncompromising way", and 硬要 (yìng yào) "insist on doing (despite obstacles)" - 他硬要一个人去 "he insisted on going alone".
- 硬件 (yìngjiàn) "hardware" vs 软件 (ruǎnjiàn) "software" is the standard tech pairing.
- 生硬 (shēngyìng) "stiff, unnatural" describes awkward language or manner, while 坚硬 (jiānyìng) is the more formal/written word for physical hardness.