近
jìn
Close by, closing in, and 'lately'
The picture Two points with almost no gap left: reach out and your hand touches. 近 is two points touching; 远 is the gap between them.
Where the picture shows up in 近
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physically close
我家离公司很近。
wǒ jiā lí gōngsī hěn jìn
My place is very close to the office.
Open the window and the company sign is right there
Often in the pattern 离 A 近
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too close up
别靠太近，会看不清。
bié kào tài jìn, huì kàn bù qīng
Don't get too close, you won't see it clearly.
A hand easing back a face that has almost touched its nose to the screen
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a date closing in
交货的日子近了。
jiāo huò de rìzi jìn le
The delivery date is almost here.
On the calendar, the circled square has crept right next to today's
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close in relationship
我跟他关系很近。
wǒ gēn tā guānxi hěn jìn
He and I are very close.
Two people sitting shoulder to shoulder, dropping their voices
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lately
最近身体怎么样？
zuìjìn shēntǐ zěnmeyàng
How has your health been lately?
A palm covering just the few squares that run back from today
最近 has set into the meaning 'lately'
All of it in one picture
近 is the place where the gap between two points has closed. Closed on the ground, home is near; closed between eye and screen, you are too close; closed between today and a date, the day is upon you; closed between two people, they are close; closed to only a few squares back from today, it becomes 'lately'.