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空间 (kōng jiān) — space (physical area or room); space (abstract room, scope, leeway); space (outer space, cosmos)

Definition

空间 covers both physical space (room, area) and abstract space (scope, leeway). Use 太空 for outer space/cosmos; 地方 is a more casual word for a place or available room.

noun
space (physical area or room)space (abstract room, scope, leeway)space (outer space, cosmos)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 空间。
    Shè jì shī bǎ zhè ge xiǎo kōng jiān biàn chéng le yí gè shū shì de wò shì.
    The designer turned this small space into a comfortable bedroom.
  • 。
    Wǒ men xū yào gèng duō de fā zhǎn yè wù.
    We need more room to develop our business.
  • 。
    Rén lèi yào tàn suǒ.
    Humans want to explore space.

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
间jiāninterval

From 空 (empty) and 间 (interval), giving the idea of an open area or room.

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 间 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Abstract ConceptsSky & Space2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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