困 is also the simplified spelling of 睏.

困

Mandarin · pinyin kùn

Meanings

  1. to trap
  2. to surround
  3. hard-pressed
  4. stranded
  5. destitute
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Characters in this entry

困
kùn · to surround, besiege; to be surrounded; difficult; hexagram ䷮
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4 · kun4

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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.

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

kwan3

Cantonese word readings for 困. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

  1. to surround; to besiege
  2. to be surrounded; to be trapped
  3. (Cantonese) to lock up; to detain
  4. difficult
  5. 47th hexagram of the I Ching
  6. (Teochew, Hainanese) hungry

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack