干 (gān) - dry & to dry

干Tone 1

gān ｜ 3 strokes ｜ radical: 干

枫惠

干 · gān

dry;

to dry;

shield;

trunk;

stem;

interfere;

concern;

offend;

do;

work;

capable;

able;

fight;

struggle;

ancient shield

dryto dryshield

Usage highlights

dryworkinterferecleandry fooddried fruit

Synonyms

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The clothes are dry (衣服干了).
  • He works very hard (他工作很干).
  • This is dried food (这是干粮).
  • Don't interfere in other people's business (不要干涉别人的事).

Collocations

  • dry(干燥)
  • work(干活)
  • interfere(干涉)
  • clean(干净)
  • dry food(干粮)
  • dried fruit(干果)

Idioms

  • Out of the blue(干戈扰攘)
  • Clean and tidy(干干净净)
  • Out of the frying pan into the fire(干柴烈火)
  • To do something in vain(干瞪眼)
  • To be straightforward(干脆利落)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally depicted a shield, later extended to mean 'dry' and 'to do/work'.
  • In modern Chinese, it's a highly polysemous character with multiple meanings and pronunciations.
  • Used in administrative terms like 'cadre' (干部) and military terms like 'shield' (干戈).

FAQ