精练
jīng liàn · HSK 7
variant of 精煉|精炼[jing1 lian4]
🧵 精 refined + 练 to refine = the refining step that scours and degums raw silk thread
A textile term: 精 carries the sense of refined or pure, and 练 means to refine or boil-treat. Together they name the process of scouring and degumming silk to clean it. It is a variant of 精煉/精炼 (jīng liàn).
精 — rice 米 + blue/green 青 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 米 (rice) gives the meaning, while 青 supplies the sound. Originally referred to polished, refined rice — grain with the husk removed. The sense broadened to 'refined, pure, essence,' and later 'fine, skilled, spirit.'
练 — silk radical 纟 + 柬 (select)
练 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The silk radical 纟 gives the meaning, originally referring to boiling raw silk to soften and whiten it. 柬 (jiǎn, 'to select') supplies the sound. From the idea of repeatedly processing silk, the meaning extended to 'practice, train, drill'.