磕 (kē) — to knock, to tap (against sth hard); to knock off (mud, ashes, etc.)
Definition
磕 (kē) means knocking against something hard — usually to dislodge something (mud, ashes) or by accident (bumping a head). 敲 is a deliberate knock or strike; 磕 implies harder contact or a self-inflicted bump.
verb
to knockto tap (against sth hard)to knock off (mud, ashes, etc.)
Examples
- 磕。Tā bù xiǎo xīn bǎ tóu kē zài mén kuàng shàng le.He accidentally knocked his head on the door frame.
- 磕。Tā bǎ jī dàn zài wǎn biān kē kāi.She cracked the egg on the bowl edge.
- 磕。Tā yòng lì kē diào xuē zi shàng de ní.He forcefully knocked the mud off his boots.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
盍
盍hé磕kē
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
磕 is built from 石 (stone) plus 盍, a part that supplies the sound hé.
Appears in
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