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脱困 (tuō kùn) — to get out of a difficult situation, to overcome difficulties

Definition

脱 (tuō) here means 'to escape from', and 困 means 'being stuck' — together, getting free from a difficult situation. Often used for companies, economies, or regions emerging from crisis.

verb
to get out of a difficult situation, to overcome difficulties

Examples

  • 脱困。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī zhōng yú tuō kùn le.
    This company finally got out of its difficulties.
  • ，。
    Zài dà jiā de bāng zhù xià, tā hěn kuài tuō le kùn.
    With everyone's help, he quickly got out of trouble.
  • ，脱困。
    Jīng jì wēi jī zhī hòu, hěn duō qǐ yè nán yǐ tuō kùn.
    After the economic crisis, many enterprises found it hard to overcome difficulties.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

脱tuōescape
困kùndifficulty

脱 means to escape or get out and 困 means difficulty; together it says getting out of a hard situation.

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 脫; 脱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròu
Sound part声符shēngfú
兌
兌duì脫tuō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 脫 puts ⺼ (meat) beside 兌, which gives the sound; the simplified 脱 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 脱 →

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

  • 囗囗wéisurround
  • 木木mùwood

困 is drawn as 木 (wood) enclosed by 囗 (surround). The evidence says this was probably the original form of a word meaning 'doorsill'.

Open 困 →
Appears in
Success & Failure

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