介 is a Chinese character with HSK 2 on the new exam.
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
The oracle-bone form shows a person (人) flanked by two short strokes on either side, depicting a figure standing between two objects or wearing armor plates over the torso. Scholars debate whether the original referent was armor (the plates protecting a body) or the act of being positioned in the middle of two things. Both readings are preserved in the modern word.
Form evolution
Bronze inscriptions keep the central human figure clearly, with the flanking marks sometimes drawn as dots and sometimes as short bars. Seal script regularises these into two symmetrical strokes on either side of a standing 人. Clerical and modern楷书 flatten the human figure into the 人 component on top and fix the flanking strokes as the two legs below, giving the familiar four-stroke shape.
How the meaning evolved
The earliest attested senses cluster around 'armor' and 'to be between', with the 'in-between' reading winning out for most modern compounds. From 'between two parties' came the extensions to 'introduce' (介绍), 'intermediary' (中介), and 'take to heart' (介意, literally to place something between one's thoughts). The armor sense survives only in fossilised words.
Cultural note
The armor reading lives on in 介胄 (armor and helmet) and in the biology term 介壳 (shell of a mollusc), where the hard outer layer echoes the original plates. Learners often confuse 介意 with 在意; 介意 specifically implies taking offence, not merely caring about something.
Basic info
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 2 |
| Frequency | #1015 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 介
On the new HSK 2 exam
Studying for HSK 2? Keep 介 with the rest of your level.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.