Meaning
洞 refers to any kind of hole, opening, or cavity. It can describe natural formations like caves, physical holes in objects, or even figurative 'holes' like gaps in knowledge. The character combines the water radical 氵with 同 (same/together), originally suggesting water flowing through or gathering in a cavity.
Usage
洞 is commonly used in compound words and appears frequently in both everyday and literary contexts. It can describe anything from a small hole in clothing to large caves. Often combined with other characters to specify the type of hole or opening, such as 山洞 (mountain cave) or 窟窿 (hole in something).
Examples
- 01我的袜子上有个洞。.There's a hole in my sock.
- 02他们在山洞里发现了古代壁画。.They discovered ancient murals in the cave.
Measure words
- 个一个洞
Common collocations
- 山洞mountain cave
- 洞穴cave, cavern
- 黑洞black hole
- 破洞torn hole, rip
Origin
The character consists of the water radical 氵(shuǐ) on the left and 同 (tóng, same/together) on the right. This suggests the image of water flowing through or collecting in a hollow space, which extended to mean any cavity or hole.