棺 (guān): coffin
棺 (guān) is a Chinese character meaning “coffin.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 木 (semantic) and 官 (phonetic). It ranks #2552 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 棺 wood. Its radical form 木 (tree) appears in many related characters such as 本 (běn, (bound form) root), 机 (jī, machine, opportunity), 条 (tiáo, strip).
Definitions
- coffin
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
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Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 棺材 | guān cai | coffin |
| 石棺 | shí guān | sarcophagus |
| 棺木 | guān mù | coffin |
| 盖棺论定 | gài guān lùn dìng | don't pass judgment on a person's life until the lid is on the coffin (idiom) |
| 不见棺材不落泪 | bù jiàn guān cai bù luò lèi | lit. not to shed a tear until one sees the coffin (idiom) |
| 盖棺定论 | gài guān dìng lùn | don't pass judgment on a person's life until the lid is on the coffin (idiom) |
| 棺材瓤子 | guān cai ráng zi | geezer with one foot in the grave (used jokingly or as an imprecation) |
| 棺材板 | guān cai bǎn | wooden board used to make a coffin (also refers to the coffin itself) |
| 灵棺 | líng guān | a bier |
| 冰棺 | bīng guān | coffin-shaped freezer used to store a corpse |
| 瓮棺葬 | wèng guān zàng | urn burial |
| 棺椁 | guān guǒ | inner and outer coffins |
| 瓮棺 | wèng guān | funerary urn |
棺 appears in 13 compound words: 38 as the first character, 31 as the last, and 31 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 棺 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (3)
to judge the accomplishments and faults of a person after their death; to reach a final decision or conclusion
to judge the accomplishments and faults of a person after their death; to reach a final decision or conclusion
to judge the accomplishments and faults of a person after their death; to reach a final decision or conclusion
to judge the accomplishments and faults of a person after their death; to reach a final decision or conclusion
Example Sentences
棺材是盛放遗体的器具。
Guāncai shì chéngfàng yítǐ de qìjù.
The coffin is a vessel for holding remains.
死亡不再是禁忌!哈雷灵车、环保棺木客制化殡葬新趋势
sǐ wáng bù zài shì jīn jì ! hā léi líng chē , huán bǎo guān mù kè zhì huà 殡 zàng xīn qū shì
【晒晒咱的镇馆之宝48】固原北魏漆棺画:微缩的文明交流图
shài shài zán de zhèn guǎn zhī bǎo 4 8 gù yuán běi wèi qī guān huà : wēi suō de wén míng jiāo liú tú
木桥不堪负荷突断裂 秘鲁送葬队连棺木堕河 遗体遭急流冲走众人急捞
mù qiáo bù kān fù hé tū duàn liè mì lǔ sòng zàng duì lián guān mù duò hé yí tǐ zāo jí liú chōng zǒu zhòng rén jí lāo
Wooden Bridge Collapses Under Weight; Peruvian Funeral Procession Falls Into River with Coffin; Body Swept Away by Strong Current as Crowd Rushes to Rescue
大撞小...一家3口“遭压成铁棺”2死1命危
dà zhuàng xiǎo . . . yī jiā 3 kǒu zāo yā chéng tiě guān 2 sǐ 1 mìng wēi
Big collision and small ... A family of 3 was "crushed into an iron coffin", 2 dead and 1 life-threatening
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 棺 (guān)?
Is 棺 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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