p8nda
p8nda BETA
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陷

xiàn
verb HSK 7-9 #4,564

Meanings

  1. 1 to sink
  2. 2 trap
  3. 3 to get stuck

Examples

HSK 6
汽车陷在泥里了。
Qìchē xiàn zài ní lǐ le.
The car is stuck in the mud.
HSK 7-9
我觉得这可能是一个陷阱。
Wǒ juéde zhè kěnéng shì yí ge xiànjǐng.
I think this might be a trap.

Tips

memory
阝(hill) + 臽 (pit) - falling into a pit in the ground

Components

radical
阝 fù
mound; hill (left-side form of 阜)
Left-side 阝 is the mound/hill radical (left form = 阜, right form = 邑). Sets a "terrain feature" family alongside 险 (cliffside risk), 阶 (steps), 院 (walled compound). Here the mound is what surrounds the pit - providing the cliff edge over which one falls in.
phonetic
臽 xiàn
pit; trap
Right side 臽 (xiàn) - a person 人 falling into a 臼 (mortar/pit). Supplies both sound (xiàn → xiàn, identical) and the core image. So 陷 is doubly transparent: a hill on the left and someone tumbling into a hole on the right. Same phonetic in 馅 (xiàn, filling) and 焰 (yàn, flame).

Stroke Order

陷 xiàn