堪 kān to endure
to endure; worthy
怎么记住“堪”: 土 earth + 甚 considerably = to endure. The farmer's dry earth has cracked considerably this summer, but he keeps watering, determined to endure.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
堪 = 土 earth + 甚 considerably
- 土 earth meaning
- 甚 considerably meaning + sound
- 其 this or that
- 𠃊 corner
- 八 eight
The farmer's dry earth has cracked considerably this summer, but he keeps watering, determined to endure.
How it came to be
The oldest form joins the earth and a sign for extreme: first a heavy bump of earth, later bearing its weight.
用法
- A formal 'can bear / be worthy of': 不堪 (bùkān) unbearable, 难堪 (nánkān) embarrassing/awkward, 堪称 (kānchēng) can rightly be called.
- 堪称经典 (kānchēng jīngdiǎn) = can be called a classic: a common review phrase.
- 不堪一击 (bùkān-yìjī) = can't withstand a single blow; 不堪重负 = buckling under the load.