孔 kǒng opening
opening; hole; orifice
How it came to be
A child with a mark drawn at the breast: the opening it feeds from. From that one hole the word spread to any hole at all.
How it is used
- A small hole/opening: 鼻孔 (bíkǒng) nostril, 毛孔 (máokǒng) pore, 针孔 (zhēnkǒng) pinhole.
- Also 面孔 (miànkǒng) = face/countenance, and the surname of 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ, Confucius).
- 无孔不入 (wúkǒng-búrù) = to seize every opening.