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空壳 (kōng ké) — (figurative) shell company; hollow entity with no real substance; (literal) empty shell (e.g., of an egg, nut, etc.)

Definition

Refers to something with an outer form but no real substance inside — used literally (an empty egg or nut shell) or figuratively for hollow companies, promises, or institutions that look real but have no actual content.

noun
(figurative) shell companyhollow entity with no real substance(literal) empty shell (e.g., of an egg, nut, etc.)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 空壳。
    Zhè ge dàn zhī shèng yí gè kōng ké le.
    This egg is just an empty shell.
  • 空壳，。
    Nà jiā gōng sī yǐ jīng biàn chéng le yí gè kōng ké, méi yǒu shí jì yè wù.
    That company has become an empty shell with no actual business.
  • 空壳，。
    Tā de chéng nuò zhǐ shì yí gè kōng ké, méi yǒu shí jì xíng dòng.
    His promise is just an empty shell with no real action.

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.

空kōngempty
壳késhell

空 “empty” + 壳 “shell” names a shell with nothing inside, often a hollow organization.

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
穴穴xuécave, hole
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng空kōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

空 is built from 穴, a cave or hole, and 工, which gives the sound.

Open 空 →

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 殼; 壳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
几几jǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
㱿
㱿㱿殼ké(r)
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 殼 is built from 几 (the meaning part) and 㱿 (the sound part); the simplified 壳 is a later shorthand.

Open 壳 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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