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鑿空

简凿空 · 繁鑿空

Mandarin · pinyin záo kōng

to open an aperture
(extended meaning) to cut a way through
to open up a road

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Characters in this entry

鑿: Look up this written character
空: kōng · empty, hollow, bare, deserted
凿: záo · chisel; bore, pierce

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2–1 · zao2 kong1

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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.

鑿空 · find source passages ↗ · 凿空 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zok6 hung1

Cantonese word readings for 鑿空. 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.

verb

(literary) to open up a road; to clear a path; to make a way

adj

(literary) forced; far-fetched

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

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