TongTong
Sign in

康 (kāng) — (bound morpheme) health; well-being; peace; abundance

Definition

康 is a bound morpheme meaning 'health' or 'peace', almost always seen in set phrases like 健康, 安康, or 康复 — never used alone. Pair it with 安 (peaceful) for greetings, or 健 (healthy) for general well-being.

bound form
(bound morpheme) healthwell-beingpeaceabundance

Examples

  • 。
    Zhù nǐ shēn tǐ jiàn kāng.
    Wish you good health.
  • ，。
    Tā zhèng zài kāng fù zhōng, bù néng tài lèi.
    He is recovering and cannot get too tired.
  • 。
    Zhù nín quán jiā ān kāng.
    Wish your whole family peace and health.

Origin

Compound ideograph
六书liùshū
会意huìyì

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

康 pairs 庚 (threshing tools) with 米 (rice), showing rice being processed into chaff.

Appears in
Fitness & Exercise5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.