Definitions

kǎn upright and honest; cheerful; to chat idly; to boast; to talk smoothly
kǎn old variant of 侃[kǎn]

Etymology

As trustworthy as spring-water 

About

The character "侃" originated in early Chinese writing with a core meaning related to uprightness and straightforwardness in a person's character, as indicated by its persistent human radical 亻 which connects it directly to human conduct. Its structural composition, which combines this radical with a right-hand component that has historically carried connotations of stability and directness, originally emphasized moral integrity and an unyielding demeanor. Over the centuries, the semantic emphasis of the character shifted from describing a quality of personal rectitude toward denoting a particular mode of speech, characterized by ease and fluency, which is captured in later usage such as in the term "侃侃而谈". This transformation illustrates how the character's association moved from ethical posture to verbal expression, while its written form has maintained a consistent appearance throughout its long usage.

Example Sentences Hide

他们喜欢大山。

Tāmen xǐhuān kǎn dàshān.

They like to chat idly.

他经常调我。

Tā jīngcháng tiáokǎn wǒ.

He often teases me.

不要总是调朋友。

Bùyào zǒngshì tiáokǎn péngyǒu.

Don't always tease friends.

他们一边喝茶一边

Tāmen yìbiān hē chá yìbiān kǎn.

They chat while drinking tea.

他们坐在那里了半天。

Tāmen zuò zài nàlǐ kǎn le bàntiān.

They sat there and chatted for a long time.

他的调让我有点尴尬。

Tā de tiáokǎn ràng wǒ yǒudiǎn gāngà.

His teasing made me a little embarrassed.

大山是一种休闲方式。

Kǎn dàshān shì yī zhǒng xiūxián fāngshì.

Chatting idly is a way of leisure.

他善于用幽默的方式调时事。

Tā shànyú yòng yōumò de fāngshì tiáokǎn shíshì.

He is good at teasing current affairs in a humorous way.