聩 (kuì): deaf

Meanings

1 deaf
2 muddle-headed
3 unable to understand

Characters

聩

kuì

deaf; muddle-headed

Examples

HSK 7-9

良师能振聋发聩。

Liáng shī néng zhènlóng-fākuì.

A good teacher can wake the deaf and enlighten the muddled.

HSK 7-9

他的尖锐言论振聋发聩。

Tā de jiānruì yánlùn zhènlóng-fākuì.

His sharp words shook the muddled and complacent.

Tips

usage

The character lives almost entirely in 振聋发聩 - words or events so striking they 'rouse the deaf and wake the dim'. 聩 literally means deaf, figuratively means too dull to grasp anything.

Components

radical

耳 ěr

ear

Left-side ear radical 耳. Deafness is an ear matter, so the ear carries the core meaning, as it does in 聋 and 聪.

phonetic

贵 guì

expensive; (here) sound

Right side 贵 supplies the sound (kuì shifted from guì); its 'expensive' meaning has no part here.

Stroke Order

聩 kuì

Related Words

振聋发聩 zhènlóng-fākuì #65,587

so loud that even the deaf can hear / to awaken the ignorant; profoundly eye-opening

忍不住 rěnbuzhù HSK 5 #4,573

cannot help (doing something) / unable to bear; unable to hold back

清醒 qīngxǐng HSK 4 #2,064

clear-headed; sober; awake / to become clear-headed; to come to one's senses

看不到 kànbudào #4,211

cannot see / unable to see

无能为力 wúnéng-wéilì HSK 7-9 #3,651

powerless to do anything; helpless / unable to help

懂得 dǒngde HSK 2 #3,384

to understand / to know

理智 lǐzhì HSK 6 #3,267

rational; reasonable; level-headed / reason; rationality; sense

没法 méifǎ #2,619

unable to / can't / there's no way to

解 jiě HSK 6 #2,055

to untie; to undo; to loosen / to solve; to resolve / to explain; to interpret / to dissolve; to melt; to break apart / to understand; to comprehend

难以 nányǐ HSK 5 #2,022

hard to; difficult to / unable to easily (do something)