坎 (kǎn) — old variant of 坎; pit; hole
Definition
Bound literary form for 'pit' or 'hole' — written 坎, but in speech usually pronounced kēng. It appears mainly in set phrases like 坎坷 (bumpy / setbacks in life).
bound form
old variant of 坎pithole
Examples
- 坎Lù shang yǒu yí gè dà kēng kǎnThere is a big pothole on the road.
- ，坎！Xiǎo xīn, qián miàn yǒu gè kēng kǎn!Be careful, there's a pothole ahead!
- 坎，。Zhè ge kēng kǎn hěn shēn, bú yào kào jìn.This pothole is very deep, don't get close.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
坎 is made from 土 (earth; soil) plus 欠 as the sound part.
Appears in
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