坎 kǎn pit
pit; hole
How to remember 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.
Component breakdown
坎 = 土 earth + 欠 to lack
- 土 earth
- 欠 to lack
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 is used
- 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).