啃 (kěn) - To gnaw & to nibble

啃Tone 3

kěn ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

俊梁

啃 · kěn

To gnaw;

to nibble;

to bite into something hard;

to make a living with difficulty.

To gnawto nibbleto bite into something hard

Usage highlights

Gnaw on a boneNibble on cornLive off parentsDepend on parentsBite into hard thingsTackle difficult problems

Synonyms

  • 咬— to bite (more general term)
  • 嚼— to chew

Antonyms

  • 吐— to spit out
  • 咽— to swallow

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The dog is gnawing on a bone (啃骨头).
  • He is nibbling on an apple (啃苹果).
  • Many young people struggle financially (啃老族).
  • We need to tackle this difficult problem (啃硬骨头).

Collocations

  • Gnaw on a bone(啃骨头)
  • Nibble on corn(啃玉米)
  • Live off parents(啃老)
  • Depend on parents(啃老族)
  • Bite into hard things(啃硬东西)
  • Tackle difficult problems(啃硬骨头)

Idioms

  • Gnawing away at one's heart(啃噬心灵)
  • Biting into hard bones(啃硬骨头)
  • Living off one's parents(啃老族)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In modern Chinese, '啃老族' refers to young adults who rely financially on their parents instead of being independent.
  • The character conveys a sense of effort and difficulty, whether physically gnawing or metaphorically struggling.
  • Used in business contexts to describe tackling challenging projects or problems.

FAQ