窠 (kē): nest; den; burrow

Meanings

不落窠臼，形容作品新颖，不落俗套。

Bù luò kē jiù, xíngróng zuòpǐn xīnyǐng, bù luò sútào.

"Not falling into the usual mould" means a work is original and unconventional.

小鸟在屋檐下筑了窠。

Xiǎoniǎo zài wūyán xià zhù le kē.

The little bird built its nest in the eaves.

usage

From "nest", 窠 extended to mean a fixed pattern. It is most often met in 不落窠臼, praising work that escapes the well-worn mould.

radical

穴 xué

cave; hole

穴 is the cave/hole radical on top, fitting 窠 as a hollow nest or burrow.

phonetic

果 guǒ

fruit

果 supplies the sound (guǒ shifted to kē) and carries no meaning here. The same phonetic appears in 课, 颗, and 棵.

窠 kē