Chinese word

空

Pronunciation

Pinyinkōng

Meaning

  • adjectiveempty

Example

这个盒子是空的。zhè ge hé zi shì kōng de

This box is empty.

Illustration for 空 (empty)

More examples

街上的商店都关门了，许多店面都是空的。jiē shàng de shāng diàn dōu guān mén le xǔ duō diàn miàn dōu shì kōng de

All the shops on the street are closed, and many shop spaces are empty.

Core concept

Time with nothing occupying it remains open for a person to use.

Common phrases

  • 空的房间kōng de fáng jiān

    empty room

  • 空的杯子kōng de bēi zi

    empty cup

  • 空的盒子kōng de hé zi

    empty box

Similar words

空闲kòng xián: Free from work and errands, with time that can be used as desired.
有空yǒu kòng: Having enough available time to take on another activity.

Definition in Chinese

有空闲时间、没有安排，可以做别的事的状态，常用于表示人有时间。yǒu kòng xián shí jiān méi yǒu ān pái ké yǐ zuò bié de shì de zhuàng tài cháng yòng yú biǎo shì rén yǒu shí jiān

Word origin

The basic sense of 空 (kōng, "empty") describes a space without contents, and this sense naturally develops into time without plans or duties.

Usage tips

  • Everyday availability is commonly framed with 有空 (yǒu kòng, "have free time") or 没空 (méi kòng, "have no free time"), rather than as a direct answer matching English sentence patterns.

Other meanings

  • freeadjective

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word