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坷

kě / kē
adjective #89,102

Meanings

  1. 1 bumpy; rough (of a road)
  2. 2 full of setbacks; hard (of a life), in 坎坷

Examples

HSK 7-9
尽管一生坎坷，他从未放弃。
Jǐnguǎn yìshēng kǎnkě, tā cóngwèi fàngqì.
Despite his rough, difficult life, he never gave up.
HSK 7-9
山路坎坷难行。
Shānlù kǎnkě nán xíng.
The mountain road was rough and hard to walk.

Tips

mistakes
Two readings. The common one is kě, in 坎坷 (kǎnkě), which means literally a bumpy road and figuratively a life full of hardship. The other reading kē is in the dialectal 坷垃 (kēlā, a clod of earth).

Components

radical
土 tǔ
earth; soil
The earth radical 土 on the left points to uneven ground, the bumpy earthen road behind both the literal and figurative meanings.
phonetic
可 kě
can; may (phonetic)
可 (kě, can) sits on the right and gives the sound. It underlies both readings kě and kē; it contributes no meaning here.

Stroke Order

坷 kě