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困境 (kùn jìng) — difficult situation; predicament

Definition

困境 means a difficult, stuck situation one is trapped in — stronger than 困难 (which is just 'difficulty'). Pairs with 陷入/走出, unlike more neutral 处境 or 境地.

noun
difficult situationpredicament

Examples

  • 困境。
    Gōng sī xiàn rù le yán zhòng de kùn jìng.
    The company has fallen into a serious predicament.
  • 困境，。
    Jǐn guǎn shēn chǔ kùn jìng, tā yī rán bǎo chí lè guān.
    Even though she is in a difficult situation, she remains optimistic.
  • 困境。
    Zǒu chū kùn jìng xū yào zhì huì hé yǒng qì.
    Getting out of a predicament requires wisdom and courage.

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.

困kùndifficult
境jìngsituation

困 means difficult and 境 means situation, so together they describe a difficult situation.

Characters in this word

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 →

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
竟
竟jìng境jìng
Same sound today

境 pairs 土 (earth) with 竟, which gives the sound; the 土 part carries the meaning.

Open 境 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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