磕磕绊绊 (kē kē bàn bàn) — (of a road) bumpy, rough, full of obstacles; (of a person) limping, stumbling while walking; (figurative) full of difficulties, rough (as in a phase of life or a project)

Definition

Describes a road as bumpy and rough, a person as limping or stumbling, or — figuratively — a stretch of life or work as full of small difficulties. The reduplicated form emphasizes the ongoing, halting quality of the experience.

verb
(of a road) bumpyroughfull of obstacles(of a person) limpingstumbling while walking(figurative) full of difficultiesrough (as in a phase of life or a project)

Examples

  • 磕磕绊绊，。
    Zhè duàn shān lù kē kē bàn bàn, kāi chē yào xiǎo xīn.
    This stretch of mountain road is bumpy — drive carefully.
  • ，磕磕绊绊。
    Tā tuǐ shòu shāng hòu, zǒu lù zǒng shì kē kē bàn bàn de.
    After his leg was injured, he always walks with a limp.
  • ，磕磕绊绊。
    Chuàng yè chū qī, wǒ men kē kē bàn bàn dì zǒu le wǔ nián.
    In the early days of our startup, we trudged through five tough years.

Origin

Reduplicated word
构词法gòucífǎ
重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

磕磕
磕kēbump磕kēbump
重叠Reduplication
绊绊
绊bàntrip绊bàntrip
重叠Reduplication

磕 and 绊 mean bump and trip; their repetition paints a stumbling, rough course.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shístone
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.

Open 磕 →

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
石石shístone
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.

Open 磕 →

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 絆; 绊 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
半
半bàn絆bàn
Same sound today

In 絆, the traditional form of 绊, the part 糸 shows silk and 半 gives the sound.

Open 绊 →

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 絆; 绊 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
半
半bàn絆bàn
Same sound today

In 絆, the traditional form of 绊, the part 糸 shows silk and 半 gives the sound.

Open 绊 →

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