Definitions
Etymology
Pictograph of a person (人) carrying a heavy weight on their back.
About
The character 克 is an ideogrammatic composition of 十 (shí) atop 兄 (xiōng, "elder brother"), though its original form depicted a person bearing a heavy load or wearing armor. This image of bearing weight conveys its core meaning: the capacity to accomplish a demanding task. From this, the sense expanded to include overcoming obstacles, subduing opponents, conquering difficulties, and exercising restraint. In modern usage, besides its established meanings of overcoming and subduing, 克 is also commonly used as a phonetic loan to represent the metric unit of mass, the gram.
Example Sentences Hide
巧克力很好吃。
我们必须克服这个困难。
他每天都克制自己不吃零食。
这种药的剂量是五克。
哥哥在攻克一个技术难题。
他们成功克隆了一只羊。
这位领导以克己奉公著称。
他的理论框架克服了传统范式的局限性。