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有空 (yǒu kòng) — to have free time, to be available

Definition

A set phrase meaning 'to have free time' or 'to be available' — used to ask about or offer availability, as in 你有空吗? ('Are you free?').

verb
to have free timeto be available

Examples

  • 有空？
    Nǐ míng tiān yǒu kòng ma?
    Are you free tomorrow?
  • ？
    Nǐ míng tiān yǒu méi yǒu kōng?
    Do you have free time tomorrow?
  • 有空。
    Děng tā yǒu yǒu kòng le zài jué dìng ba.
    Wait until he has time to decide.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

有yǒuhave
空kōngfree time

有 'have' and 空 'free time' combine to mean having time available.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
穴穴xuécave, hole
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng空kōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

空 is built from 穴, a cave or hole, and 工, which gives the sound.

Open 空 →
Appears in
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