在
to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress)
Closest English meanings
at·in·exist
The Calligrapher — Wáng Zhìdēng 王稚登
Ming literatus and running-script calligrapher in the Wen Zhengming line.
Ming calligrapher (), master of running script — known for 《义兴杂诗》. Ming dynasty
Cultural Story
The Odes ask where the people's trust 在 when the ruler strays. Wang Xizhi's Preface to the Orchid Pavilion speaks of friends 在 present, wine and verse flowing. The character sets a person against the earth — 存在 as location before it became metaphysics, a thing simply being somewhere.
Common words & phrases
- 现在 now · present
- 存在 exist · existence
- 正在 in progress · just
- 在于 lie in · consist in
- 在乎 care about
- 在意 mind · care
Read the story behind the character
The 现在 time shows on the lock screen as the alarm sounds. A 存在 proof keeps the server process alive through the night. The bus is 正在 arriving, says the app, two minutes out. The dispute 在于 who actually paid the bill. Teenagers 在乎 what the group thinks of the photo. A parent texts that she 在意 he ate lunch before the exam.
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