鎮 (zhèn) — to press down, suppress, guard; noun

entries → 鎮

TSUMUGU · TOCFL C1 (est.) · 字

鎮 character · TOCFL C1 (est.)

鎮＝金＋真

ㄓㄣˋ · zhèn

verb — to press down, suppress, guard; noun — a garrison town

字源 FORM — what the parts do

金義metal — a heavy weight

真聲zhēn — gives the sound說文 writes the older 眞; modern 真 is the same piece

Tzhēn → zhèn — only the tone moved

A metal weight (金) set down to hold a thing still — to press down, then to guard, then the guarded place itself: 鎮壓 to suppress, 市鎮 a town. 真 zhēn carries the sound, the tone falling to zhèn.

故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by

一塊金（金）屬重物壓在紙上——風再大也吹不動。

A metal (金) weight pressed down on the page — no wind can lift it now.

字源記憶法

意 · Meanings

(本義)壓住、按住— to press down, hold still

→鎮壓、鎮定— to suppress; to calm常用

⇒鎮守、市鎮— to garrison; a town常用

(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension