精干

精幹
jīnggàn
adjective #36,174

Meanings

  1. 1 sharp and capable
  2. 2 lean and effective
  3. 3 (of troops or units) crack, elite

Examples

HSK 3
Tā shì wèi jīnggàn de niánqīng jīnglǐ.
He's a sharp, capable young manager.
HSK 7-9
Gōngsī zǔjiàn le yì zhī jīnggàn de yánfā tuánduì.
The company put together a lean, effective R&D team.

Tips

usage
Carries two intertwined ideas: 精 (jīng, 'fine/refined/skillful') and 干 (gàn, 'to do, capable'). Together: 'distilled to capability'. Used both for individuals (sharp, no-nonsense) and for organizations (small but high-performing). Compare 能干 (nénggàn, 'able, competent') - neutral capability vs. 精干's 'lean and sharp' connotation.
mistakes
干 here is gàn (4th tone, 'to do'), not gān (1st tone, 'dry'). Reading it 'jīnggān' would mean nothing.

Stroke Order

精 jīng
干 gān