坎 kǎn pit
pit; hole
怎么记住“坎”: 土 earth + 欠 to lack = pit. The road crew leaves a pile of earth and a sign lacking any warning light, so at night my bike drops straight into the pit.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
坎 = 土 earth + 欠 to lack
- 土 earth meaning
- 欠 to lack sound
The road crew leaves a pile of earth and a sign lacking any warning light, so at night my bike drops straight into the pit.
How it came to be
In the small seal form, the earth gives the meaning and the sign for lacking the sound.
用法
- A hollow/setback: 坎坷 (kǎnkě) rough and bumpy, said of a hard life; 命运坎坷 (mìngyùn kǎnkě) a life full of hardship.
- Colloquial 坎儿 (kǎnr) = a hurdle to get over: 过了这道坎 (guòle zhè dào kǎn) once past this hump.
- Also a trigram in the 八卦 (Eight Trigrams).