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漏洞 (lòu dòng) — (physical) leak, hole (e.g., in a roof or container); (figurative) loophole, gap (e.g., in a law or system)

Definition

漏洞 covers both a physical leak and, more commonly, a flaw or loophole in a system, law, or argument. Unlike 洞 or 孔 (concrete holes) and 缺口 (a physical gap or shortfall), 漏洞 emphasizes the weakness that something can get through.

noun
(physical) leakhole (e.g., in a roof or container)(figurative) loopholegap (e.g., in a law or system)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 漏洞，。
    Wū dǐng yǒu yí gè lòu dòng, xià yǔ shí huì lòu shuǐ.
    There is a leak in the roof; it leaks water when it rains.
  • 漏洞，。
    Zhè ge fǎ lǜ yǒu hěn duō lòu dòng, xū yào xiū gǎi.
    This law has many loopholes and needs to be revised.
  • 漏洞，。
    Gōng sī de xì tǒng cún zài ān quán lòu dòng, bì xū jǐn kuài xiū fù.
    The company's system has a security vulnerability that must be fixed as soon as possible.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

漏lòuleak
洞dònghole

The idea of a leak, 漏, narrows the hole, 洞, to a gap that lets things escape or exposes a weakness.

Characters in this word

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

漏 combines 水 (water) and 屚 (to leak), showing water leaking.

Open 漏 →

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
同
同tóng洞dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

洞 combines 水 (water) with 同, which gives the sound tóng.

Open 洞 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Abstract Concepts

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.