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叩

kòu
verb #28,831

Meanings

  1. 1 to knock
  2. 2 to kowtow
  3. 3 to tap

Examples

他轻轻叩了叩门，没有人回应。
Tā qīngqīng kòu le kòu mén, méiyǒu rén huíyìng.
He gently knocked on the door, but no one answered.
古代臣子向皇帝叩首以示敬意。
Gǔdài chénzi xiàng huángdì kòushǒu yǐ shì jìngyì.
Ancient subjects kowtowed to the emperor as a sign of respect.

Tips

usage
叩 is more formal and literary than 敲 (qiāo, to knock). It appears in classical compounds: 叩头/叩首 (kòutóu/kòushǒu, to kowtow), 叩门 (kòumén, to knock on a door), and 叩拜 (kòubài, to bow and worship).

Stroke Order

叩 kòu