陷 xiàn to sink
to sink; to plunge; trap; pitfall; to get stuck; to frame
怎么记住“陷”: 阝 mound + 臽 pitfall = to sink. Behind the sandy mound at the playground the kids dig a pitfall for Dad, and laugh as his foot begins to sink.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
陷 = 阝 mound + 臽 pitfall
- 阝 mound meaning
- 臽 pitfall meaning + sound
Behind the sandy mound at the playground the kids dig a pitfall for Dad, and laugh as his foot begins to sink.
How it came to be
The small seal form shows the mound beside pitfall, the older form of the word, which also gives the sound.
用法
- To sink into / get stuck. 陷入 (xiànrù) to fall into (陷入困境 to fall into a predicament, 陷入沉思 to sink into thought).
- A trap or flaw: 陷阱 (xiànjǐng) a pitfall/trap, 缺陷 (quēxiàn) a defect. To frame someone: 陷害 (xiànhài) & 诬陷 (wūxiàn) to entrap with false charges.