经 (jīng) is a Chinese character meaning “to pass through”. It is written from 纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 又 (again) and 工 (work), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to pass through”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
纟 + 又 + 工
Left–right structure
- 纟 silk; thread (left-side form) · sī meaning
- 又 again · yòu simplified form
- 工 work · gōng simplified form
Structure from: 说文解字（經，織也。从糸巠聲）；简化字右部为「巠」的简省写法，此处按现代字形拆分
Memory aid
Silk threads (纟) laid down again and again (又) across the frame of the loom (工). Those long lengthwise threads everything else is woven onto — that is 经.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 经过jīng guòto pass by; to go through; the course of an event经 = jīngHSK 2
- 已经yǐ jīngalready经 = jīng
- 经历jīng lìto go through; experience经 = jīngHSK 4
- 经纬jīng wěiwarp and weft; longitude and latitude经 = jīng
- 经济jīng jìeconomy; economic经 = jīngHSK 4
- 经营jīng yíngto run (a business); to manage; to operate经 = jīng
- 经验jīng yànexperience经 = jīng
Go deeper
All readings
to pass through
to pass through; to go through; to undergo; the lengthwise (warp) thread; a classic text
织布时纵向的线；引申为经过、经历，也指经典著作。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 经过jīng guòto pass by; to go through; the course of an event经 = jīngHSK 2
- 已经yǐ jīngalready经 = jīng
- 经历jīng lìto go through; experience经 = jīngHSK 4
- 经纬jīng wěiwarp and weft; longitude and latitude经 = jīng
- 经济jīng jìeconomy; economic经 = jīngHSK 4
- 经营jīng yíngto run (a business); to manage; to operate经 = jīng
- 经验jīng yànexperience经 = jīng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 经 mean?
经 (jīng) means to pass through; to go through; to undergo; the lengthwise (warp) thread; a classic text.
How do you pronounce 经?
It is pronounced jīng.
What parts is 经 made of?
纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 又 (again) and 工 (work), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字（經，織也。从糸巠聲）；简化字右部为「巠」的简省写法，此处按现代字形拆分. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 经 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 经?
纟. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 经?
Common ones are 经过 and 已经. The reading of 经 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.