Chinese word

窟窿

Pronunciation

Pinyinkū lóng

Meaning

  • nounhole

Example

我不小心把衣服弄破了，出现了个窟窿。wǒ bù xiǎo xīn bǎ yī fú nòng pò le chū xiàn le gè kū lóng

I accidentally tore my clothes, and a hole appeared.

Illustration for 窟窿 (hole)

More examples

审计查出预算里有窟窿。shěn jì chá chū yù suàn lǐ yǒu kū lóng

An audit found a hole in the budget.

Core concept

A small gap where a surface is no longer whole, exposing empty space.

Common phrases

  • 查出窟窿chá chū kū lóng

    find a hole

  • 预算里出现窟窿yù suàn lǐ chū xiàn kū lóng

    a hole appears in the budget

  • 衣物起了个窟窿yī wù qǐ le gè kū lóng

    develop a hole in clothing

Similar words

洞dòng: A hollow space with an open mouth in the ground, a wall, or an object.
孔kǒng: A usually round, small opening made in the surface of an object.
裂缝liè fèng: A narrow, lengthwise crack or split in something that has broken or torn.
缝隙fèng xì: A small, narrow space between things or at the place where materials meet.

Definition in Chinese

物体表面出现的孔洞或破口，常指小而明显的洞。wù tǐ biǎo miàn chū xiàn de kǒng dòng huò pò kǒu cháng zhǐ xiǎo ér míng xiǎn de dòng

Word origin

窟 (kū, "cave") + 窿 (lóng, "cavity") combines two hollow-space ideas into an everyday noun for an opening in something solid.

Usage tips

  • A repair phrase can pair it with 补 (bǔ, "patch") and a result complement to show that the opening has been fully closed.

Other meanings

  • cavitynoun

Opposites

  • 隆起lóng qǐbulgenoun

Related words

  • 窟窿儿kū lóngrsmall holenoun

Word lists with this word