进
jìn · HSK 1
enter
🚪➡️ 进 = 辶 (walk) + 井 (well) — old form had 隹 (bird), now phono-semantic for advance
Modern 进 pairs the 辶 walking radical with 井 (jǐng, well) as a phonetic hint — jǐng rhymes with jìn. The original character used 隹 (short-tailed bird), since birds only move forward, never backward, giving the sense of advancing.
进 — walk radical 辶 + well 井
Originally a semantic-phonetic compound: the walking radical 辶 gives the meaning of movement, while 井 (jǐng, 'well') supplied the sound. The traditional form 進 used 隹 (short-tailed bird) suggesting forward flight; the simplified 进 swapped 隹 for the simpler phonetic 井. The core meaning 'to advance, enter' has stayed stable.