Definition
困 (kùn) most commonly means 'sleepy, drowsy' — the feeling that you need to sleep. It differs from 疲劳/疲倦 (píláo/píjuàn), which describe general tiredness after work or exercise. The word also has secondary senses: 'hard up, destitute' (less common than 穷) and 'to trap, surround' (as in being blocked, not the trickery of 套).
sleepytiredhard updestituteto trapto surround
Easily confused
- 回huílook-alike(verb) to return, to go back
- 捆kǔnsound-alike(verb) to tie together, to bundle up
- 围wéilook-aliketo surround, to encircle
Examples
- 困，。Wǒ jīntiān wǎnshang tèbié kùn, xiǎng zǎodiǎn shuìjiào.I'm especially sleepy tonight and want to go to bed early.
- 困。Dàxuě kùn zhù le hěn duō huí jiā de lù.Heavy snow trapped many roads home.
- ，。Tā zuìjìn jīngjì hěn kùnnán, xūyào bāngzhù.He's been financially strapped recently and needs help.
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