踩坑

cǎikēng

verb

Meanings

1 to fall into a trap
2 to get burned (by a product / deal)
3 to hit a pitfall

Characters

Examples

HSK 3

买这个牌子绝对不踩坑。

Mǎi zhège páizi juéduì bù cǎikēng.

Buying this brand you won't get burned.

HSK 7-9

我踩过这个坑，千万别去那家店。

Wǒ cǎi guò zhège kēng, qiānwàn bié qù nà jiā diàn.

I got burned by this one - don't go to that shop.

HSK 7-9

开发新框架总会踩坑。

Kāifā xīn kuàngjià zǒnghuì cǎikēng.

Working with a new framework you'll always hit pitfalls.

Tips

usage

Literal sense: 'to step into a pit'. Figuratively covers two domains: (1) consumer reviews - 踩雷 / 踩坑 after a bad purchase; (2) tech - software quirks or config traps that bite you. Opposite: 避坑 ('avoid the pits') as in 避坑指南 ('pit-avoidance guide / buyer beware').

culture

Shows up all over 小红书 and 知乎 in titles like 踩坑记 (my cautionary tale) and 避雷避坑. Engineers also post 踩坑总结 - a write-up of every gotcha encountered in a project.

Stroke Order

踩 cǎi

坑 kēng