孱 (càn) · a weakling; a coward

Meanings

HSK 2

别做孱头，有话就说。

Bié zuò càntou, yǒu huà jiù shuō.

Don't be such a coward, speak up.

register

Read 孱 only in the colloquial, slightly scornful 孱头 ('spineless weakling'). The standard literary reading is 孱 in 孱弱.

radical

尸 shī

body; shelter

The outer 尸 (a leaning-body / shelter shape) wraps the character; it suggests a cramped, narrow space, the original 'cramped to frail' sense.

semantic

孨 zhuǎn

three children; weak

Inside sit three stacked 子 ('child') as the element 孨; small children crowded in a tight shelter convey weakness and frailty.

孱 càn