DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
硬
Mandarin · pinyin yìng
Meanings
- hard; stiff; solid
- (fig.) strong; firm
- resolutely; uncompromisingly
- laboriously; with great difficulty
- good (quality); able (person)
- (of food) filling; substantial
Characters in this entry
- 硬
- yìng · hard, firm, strong; obstinate
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
4 · ying4
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
1character link8same-tone records
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
ngaang6
Cantonese word readings for 硬. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
character · Etymology 1
- hard (resistant to pressure)
- stiff; inflexible
- tough; strong; firm
- good (in terms of quality or ability); able (of a person)
- obstinately; with difficulty; forcibly; resolutely
- (Cantonese, Teochew) certainly; definitely; of course
- (Hokkien) arduous; formidable; onerous
- (Huizhou) thick; viscous
- (slang) to become hard; to have an erection
character · Etymology 2
- (Eastern Min, derogatory, of a person) to die; to croak
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack