穴 (xué) - Cave & hole

穴Tone 2

xué ｜ 5 strokes ｜ radical: 穴

信嫣

穴 · xué

Cave;

hole;

cavity;

den;

burrow;

acupuncture point;

crucial point.

Caveholecavity

Usage highlights

Cave dwellingAcupuncture pointAnimal denLimestone caveBurrow holeTiger's den

Synonyms

  • 洞— cave, hole
  • 孔— hole, aperture
  • 窟— den, grotto

Antonyms

  • 丘— hill, mound
  • 峰— peak, summit

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The rabbit lives in a burrow (洞穴).
  • Acupuncture targets specific points (穴位).
  • They explored a limestone cave (岩穴).
  • The fox returned to its den (巢穴).

Collocations

  • Cave dwelling(穴居)
  • Acupuncture point(穴位)
  • Animal den(巢穴)
  • Limestone cave(岩穴)
  • Burrow hole(洞穴)
  • Tiger's den(虎穴)

Idioms

  • Enter the tiger's den to get its cub(不入虎穴，焉得虎子)
  • Plunge headlong into disaster(自投罗网，自陷虎穴)
  • A place where dragons and tigers hide(龙潭虎穴)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, '穴' refers to acupuncture points on the body's meridians.
  • Archaeologically, '穴居' (cave dwelling) describes early human habitation patterns.
  • The character itself pictographically represents a hole or cavity.

FAQ