困 is also the simplified spelling of 睏.
DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
困
Mandarin · pinyin kùn
Meanings
- to trap
- to surround
- hard-pressed
- stranded
- destitute
Characters in this entry
- 困
- kùn · to surround, besiege; to be surrounded; difficult; hexagram ䷮
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
4 · kun4
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
1character link2same-tone records
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
kwan3
Cantonese word readings for 困. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
character · Etymology 1
- to surround; to besiege
- to be surrounded; to be trapped
- (Cantonese) to lock up; to detain
- difficult
- 47th hexagram of the I Ching
- (Teochew, Hainanese) hungry
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack