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窍门 (qiào mén) — knack, trick (a clever method to do something efficiently)

Definition

窍门 means a 'knack' or 'trick' — a smart shortcut for getting something done well. Among siblings, 技巧 is technique built from practice, while 诀窍 is the deeper 'secret' to success.

noun
knacktrick (a clever method to do something efficiently)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 窍门。
    Zuò rèn hé shì qing dōu yǒu qiào mén.
    There's a trick to doing anything.
  • 窍门。
    Tā jiào le wǒ yí gè zuò fàn de qiào mén.
    He taught me a cooking trick.
  • ，窍门。
    Zhè dào tí kàn zhe nán, dàn zhǎo dào qiào mén jiù bù nán le.
    This problem looks hard, but once you find the knack it's not difficult.

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.

窍qiàokeyhole
门méndoor

窍 (keyhole) and 门 (door) combine to suggest the key opening that gives access, hence a clever way or knack.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 竅; 窍 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
穴穴xuécave
Sound part声符shēngfú
敫
敫jiǎo竅qiào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 竅 combines 穴, meaning cave, with 敫 for the sound; the simplified 窍 is a shorthand.

Open 窍 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

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