宁 níng calm
calm; peaceful; rather
How it came to be
Originally: storage frame
A storage frame, a post with shelves. In the oldest forms that is what it was, a place to put things. The full form adds a roof, a dish and a heart: a settled household.
用法
- Two roles. As níng: peaceful/calm: 安宁 (ānníng) tranquil, 宁静 (níngjìng) serene, 心神不宁 (xīnshén bùníng) uneasy.
- As nìng: 'would rather': 宁可 (nìngkě) / 宁愿 (nìngyuàn): 宁可站着死 (nìngkě zhànzhe sǐ) would rather die on one's feet.
- 宁缺毋滥 (nìngquē-wùlàn) = better to go without than settle for shoddy.