硬 yìng — hard; stiff; strong; firm
这块面包放久了，变得很硬。Zhè kuài miàn bāo fàng jiǔ le, biàn de hěn yìng.This bread has been left out too long and become hard.
Common words: 硬币 (yìng bì)、硬件 (yìng jiàn)、僵硬 (jiāng yìng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "stiff"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "stiff", including 硬 (yìng), 挺 (tǐng), 僵 (jiāng), 僵 (jiāng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "stiff" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 硬 (yìng), 挺 (tǐng), 僵 (jiāng), 僵 (jiāng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span yìng, tǐng, jiāng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 硬 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 硬 yìnghard; stiff; strong; firmUseful words: 硬币, 硬件
- 挺 tǐngbe straight and stiff; rather (good)Useful words: 挺好, 挺拔
- 僵 jiāngrigid; deadlock; stiff (corpse); stiff (corpse)Useful words: 僵硬, 僵局
- 僵 jiāngrigid; deadlock; stiff (corpse); stiff (corpse)Useful words: 僵硬, 僵局
Common words for these 4 "stiff" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 硬 (yìng) — so "stiff" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "stiff".
挺 tǐng — be straight and stiff; rather (good)
这件衣服挺好看的。Zhè jiàn yī fu tǐng hǎo kàn de.This piece of clothing is quite good-looking.
Common words: 挺好 (tǐng hǎo)、挺拔 (tǐng bá)、挺进 (tǐng jìn)
僵 jiāng — rigid; deadlock; stiff (corpse); stiff (corpse)
天太冷了，他的手都冻僵了。Tiān tài lěng le, tā de shǒu dōu dòng jiāng le.It was so cold that his hands went stiff.
Common words: 僵硬 (jiāng yìng)、僵局 (jiāng jú)、僵化 (jiāng huà)
僵 jiāng — rigid; deadlock; stiff (corpse); stiff (corpse)
天太冷了，他的手都冻僵了。Tiān tài lěng le, tā de shǒu dōu dòng jiāng le.It was so cold that his hands went stiff.
Common words: 僵硬 (jiāng yìng)、僵局 (jiāng jú)、僵化 (jiāng huà)
All 4 characters
Open 硬、挺、僵 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.