穅 (kāng) - Chaff — the husks of grains separated during & worthless or inferior part.

穅Tone 1

kāng ｜ 16 strokes ｜ radical:

俊梁

穅 · kāng

Chaff — the husks of grains separated during threshing or winnowing;

worthless or inferior part.

Chaff — the husks of grains separated duringworthless or inferior part.

Usage highlights

Chaff and branChaff and husksChaff riceChaff fireChaff lampChaff breath

Synonyms

  • 糠— chaff (more common variant)
  • 秕— empty grain husk
  • 麸— bran

Antonyms

  • 米— rice (edible grain)
  • 精— refined, essence

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • After milling, only chaff (穅) remained.
  • They separated the wheat from the chaff (分拣小麦和穅).
  • The poor survived on chaff and bran (穅麸) during famine.
  • His argument was mere chaff (穅秕之言) without substance.

Collocations

  • Chaff and bran(穅麸)
  • Chaff and husks(穅秕)
  • Chaff rice(穅米)
  • Chaff fire(穅火)
  • Chaff lamp(穅灯)
  • Chaff breath(穅息)

Idioms

  • Blowing away the chaff and revealing the essence(吹穅见米)
  • Chaff in the mouth, difficult to speak(穅在口, 难言)
  • Chaff and chaff, indistinguishable(穅秕不分)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically associated with poverty and subsistence, as chaff was often consumed during famines.
  • Used metaphorically in classical texts to denote worthlessness or inferior quality.
  • The character appears in historical medical texts describing dietary practices during shortages.

FAQ