扛
Character Story & Explanation
扛 is widely used across northern and central China in everyday speech — especially in agricultural, construction, and market settings. You’ll hear vendors say 'káng yí xià!' ('Lift this a bit!') or workers describe 'káng shān' (carrying goods up mountains). A documented idiom is 扛鼎之作 (káng dǐng zhī zuò), literally 'a work that can lift a bronze ding vessel', meaning a masterpiece — referencing ancient Zhou dynasty ritual bronzes so heavy only the strongest could lift them.
The character is not pictographic but phono-semantic: 扌 (hand radical) + 工 (gōng, here serving as a phonetic component, though its sound has shifted). Its earliest attested form appears in seal script (c. 3rd century BCE), consistently showing the hand radical plus 工 — reflecting its longstanding association with manual labor, not mythic origins.
Hi students! Let’s learn 扛 (gāng/káng), a verb meaning 'to lift or raise something heavy with both hands' — like hoisting a sack of rice or carrying a wooden beam across your shoulders. It’s a physical, effortful action, not gentle like 'hold' or 'carry'. Notice the left side 扌 (hand radical) — it tells us this is about hand movement. The right side 工 (gōng) hints at structure or labor, reinforcing the idea of manual work.
This character has two standard pronunciations: gāng (formal/literary, often in written texts or idioms) and káng (colloquial, used daily in northern China). In speech, káng is far more common — e.g., 'káng dàmǐ' (carry rice sacks). Don’t confuse it with similar-sounding verbs like 抗 (kàng, 'resist') or 抬 (tái, 'lift with two people'). Context and tone matter!
As an HSK Level 6 word, 扛 appears in advanced reading — especially in descriptive prose, historical narratives, or dialect-rich dialogues. While rare in beginner textbooks, it’s essential for understanding real-life spoken Mandarin, particularly in rural or working-class contexts. Mastering it helps you grasp nuances of physical labor, resilience, and even metaphorical 'bearing burdens' — a key cultural concept in Chinese storytelling.
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
Similar Characters — Don't Mix These Up
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