空心 (kòng xīn) — hollow (physically, with nothing inside); empty-minded; lacking substance or knowledge; on an empty stomach (used before a noun in certain collocations)

Definition

Literally 'hollow' — used both for physical emptiness (空心面条) and, more figuratively at HSK 7, for people or things lacking substance in mind or character. Note the tone: kòng, not kōng, when meaning 'empty' (not 'sky').

adjective
hollow (physically, with nothing inside)empty-mindedlacking substance or knowledgeon an empty stomach (used before a noun in certain collocations)

Examples

  • 空心。
    Zhè zhǒng kòng xīn miàn tiáo zhǔ dé hěn kuài.
    This kind of hollow pasta cooks quickly.
  • 空心，。
    Tā shì gè kòng xīn de rén, nǎo zi lǐ méi shén me dōng xī.
    He is an empty-minded person with nothing much in his head.
  • 空心。
    Tā cóng lái bù hē kòng xīn jiǔ.
    He never drinks on an empty stomach.

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.

空kōngempty
心xīncenter

空 (empty) describes 心 (center), giving hollow.

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
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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →

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