DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
梗
Mandarin · pinyin gěng
Meanings
- branch
- stem
- stalk
- Classifier: 根 gēn
- to block
- to hinder
- (neologism that evolved from 哏 gén, initially in Taiwan, during the first decade of the 21st century) memorable creative idea (joke, catchphrase, meme, neologism, witty remark etc)
- prominent feature of a creative work (punchline of a joke, trope in a drama, special ingredient in a dish, riff in a pop song etc)
Characters in this entry
- 梗
- gěng · stem of flower, branch of plant
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
3 · geng3
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
1character link16same-tone records2source references
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
gang2 · gwaang2
Cantonese word readings for 梗. 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
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) Alternative name for 刺榆 (“Hemiptelea davidii”).
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese, of plants) to prick
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) spiny plant
- stalk (pedicel, peduncle, or petiole)
- broad outline; general idea; gist
- (alt. form 哏) punchline; (humorous) reference; meme
- to block; to obstruct; to hinder
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to resist; to defy
- to straighten up; to stiffen
- upright; straightforward; upstanding
- (Cantonese) stiff; tight
- (Cantonese) fixed; immovable
- (Cantonese) certainly; definitely; of course
- (Ningbonese) Classifier for long, slender objects, including ropes, fish, feathers, sticks. ⇒ all nouns using this classifier
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) strong; violent
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) illness; disaster
- a surname
- (～日) (telegraphy) the twenty-third day of a month
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack