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

买这个牌子绝对不踩坑。

Mǎi zhè ge páizi juéduì bù cǎikēng.

Buying this brand you won't get burned.

我踩过这个坑，千万别去那家店。

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

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

开发新框架总会踩坑。

Kāifā xīn kuàngjià zǒng huì 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