坎 (kǎn) - pit, hole & threshold

坎Tone 3

kǎn ｜ 7 strokes ｜ radical: 土

俊梁

坎 · kǎn

pit, hole;

threshold;

trap;

one of the Eight Trigrams representing water;

difficult situation.

pit, holethresholdtrap

Usage highlights

pitthresholddifficultytrapwater trigramovercome difficulties

Synonyms

  • 坑— pit, hole
  • 陷— trap, pitfall
  • 阱— trap, pit

Antonyms

  • 坦— level, smooth
  • 平— flat, even

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • There is a pit in the road (路上有个坎).
  • He faced many difficulties in life (他人生中有很多坎).
  • The threshold of the door is high (门坎很高).
  • This is one of the trigrams in the I Ching (这是易经八卦中的坎卦).

Collocations

  • pit(坎儿)
  • threshold(门坎)
  • difficulty(坎儿)
  • trap(坎阱)
  • water trigram(坎卦)
  • overcome difficulties(过坎)

Idioms

  • Full of frustrations and difficulties(坎坷不平)
  • Overcome obstacles one by one(一道坎一道坎地过)
  • A critical juncture(关键坎儿)
  • The water trigram in the I Ching(坎为水)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In the I Ching (Book of Changes), 坎 is one of the Eight Trigrams, representing water, danger, and the moon.
  • In Chinese culture, '坎' often symbolizes obstacles and challenges in life that need to be overcome.
  • The character is associated with the concept of 'threshold' both literally and metaphorically.

FAQ