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巢穴 (cháo xué) — lair, den, nest (of animals); (figurative) hideout, den (of criminals, enemies)

Definition

巢穴 (cháo xué) means an animal's 'nest or den,' and extends figuratively to a criminals' or enemies' hideout. Compared to 窝, it sounds more formal and is more often used for the figurative 'lair' sense.

noun
lairdennest (of animals)(figurative) hideoutden (of criminals, enemies)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 巢穴。
    Niǎo zài shù shàng zuò le yí gè cháo xué.
    The bird made a nest in the tree.
  • 巢穴。
    Jǐng chá fā xiàn le huài rén de cháo xué.
    The police discovered the criminals' lair.
  • 巢穴。
    Lǎo shǔ de cháo xué zài qiáng jiǎo xià miàn.
    The mouse's nest is under the corner of the wall.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

巢cháonest
穴xuéden

巢 (nest) and 穴 (den) combine to mean an animal's hiding place.

Characters in this word

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

巢 shows a baby bird in a nest on top of a tree.

Open 巢 →

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

穴 possibly comes from a picture of a cave entrance or a door flap, matching meanings such as cave and hole.

Open 穴 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Animals & Mammals

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.