粇 (kāng) - Chaff, husk & empty grain

粇Tone 1

kāng ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

俊梁

粇 · kāng

Chaff, husk;

empty grain;

worthless or hollow things.

Chaff, huskempty grainworthless or hollow things.

Usage highlights

Rice chaffEmpty grainHollow wordsWorthless chaffHusks and bran

Synonyms

  • 糠— chaff, bran
  • 秕— empty grain

Antonyms

  • 精— refined, essence
  • 实— solid, real

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The rice was full of chaff (米中有粇).
  • He spoke empty words (他说的是粇言).
  • The harvest was poor, yielding mostly husks (收成不好，多是粇粒).

Collocations

  • Rice chaff(米粇)
  • Empty grain(粇粒)
  • Hollow words(粇言)
  • Worthless chaff(粇糠)
  • Husks and bran(粇麸)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically associated with poor harvests or low-quality grain.
  • Used metaphorically to describe something worthless or insubstantial.

FAQ