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cái
HSK 2freq #133

Meanings

CC-CEDICT

cái
  1. 1.(variant of 才[cái]) just now
  2. 2.(variant of 才[cái]) (before an expression of quantity) only
cái
  1. 1.ability; talent
  2. 2.sb of a certain type
  3. 3.a capable individual
  4. 4.then and only then
  5. 5.just now
  6. 6.(before an expression of quantity) only
  7. 7.(emphatic, esp. in contrast or correction) really; actually

CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA

Wiktionary

  1. 1.ability; gift; talent; capability
  2. 2.talented person; talent
  3. 3.one with a certain status or background
  4. 4.a surname
  5. 5.only; just; merely
  6. 6.Used in the 才……就…… structure; only; just
  7. 7.only a short while ago; just
  8. 8.only after; only then; not ... until
  9. 9.Used to emphasize a statement.
  10. 10.only; merely
  11. 11.just; just now; a moment ago
  12. 12.only then; only after
  13. 13.Used to emphasize that something is/is not.

Wiktionary · CC BY-SA

Etymology

Pictogram (象形) — a sharp peg. Same as 弋 and 尗. The sense "talent" is via an early phonetic loan. See also the top component of 𢦏. Xu Shen erroneously analyzed this character as a sprout growing from the ground. From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *tsa ~ za (“child, offspring, relatives; to come forth (as child at birth); to love; loving”) (STEDT; Schuessler, 2007). "Birth" and "natural characteristic / endowments" are semantically connected, compare 生 (OC *sʰleːŋ, *sreŋs, “live, give birth”) and its derivative 性 (OC *sleŋs, “nature; character; personality; quality”) & 姓 (OC *sleŋs, “family name”). Cognate with 子 (OC *ʔslɯʔ, “son”). Derivatives: 材 (OC *zlɯː, “material; timber”), 財 (OC *zlɯː, “riches; property; money”), and 存 (OC *zluːn, “to exist”).

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Stroke order

Components

𠂇

Components from cjk-decomp · MIT

Example sentences

Sentences from Tatoeba · CC-BY 2.0 FR

More examples & usage (AI)

Synonyms

Wiktionary · CC BY-SA

Derived terms

Wiktionary · CC BY-SA

Related words