糠 (kāng) — rice bran, chaff, husk; (figurative) something coarse or worthless

Definition

糠 (kāng) is the husks or bran left after milling rice or grain — literally 'chaff', and figuratively (as in 糠咽菜) a marker of extreme poverty. Almost always appears in set phrases, not as a stand-alone everyday noun.

noun
rice branchaffhusk(figurative) something coarse or worthless
Easily confused

Examples

  • 糠。
    Zhè xiē kāng kě yǐ yòng lái wèi zhū.
    This bran can be used to feed pigs.
  • 糠。
    kāng Shì wèi jī de hǎo sì liào.
    Bran is good feed for chickens.
  • 糠。
    Guò qù hěn duō rén zhǐ néng chī kāng yàn cài.
    In the past, many people could only eat bran and swallow wild greens (i.e., live in extreme poverty).

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
康
康kāng糠
Same sound today

糠 combines 米, meaning rice, with 康, which gives the sound.

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