穴 (xué): cave, cavity, hole
穴 (xué) is a Chinese character meaning “cave.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 宀 (structural) and 八 (structural). It ranks #1915 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically pictographic, 穴 the mouth of a cave. Its radical form 穴 (cave) appears in many related characters such as 穿 (chuān, to wear, 穿透), 空 (kōng, empty, sky), 突 (tū, sudden).
Definitions
- cave
- cavity
- hole
Etymology & Origin
pictographicThe mouth of a cave
Decomposition: ⿱宀八 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 穴 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 洞穴noun | dòng xué | cave |
| 穴居verb | xué jū | to live in a cave |
| 巢穴noun | cháo xué | lair |
| 墓穴noun | mù xué | tomb |
| 太阳穴noun | tài yáng xué | temple (on the sides of human head) |
| 地穴 | dì xué | pit |
| 穴位noun | xué wèi | acupuncture point |
| 空穴来风phrase | kōng xué lái fēng | lit. wind from an empty cave (idiom) |
| 穴道noun | xué dào | acupuncture point |
| 蚁穴noun | yǐ xué | ant nest |
| 走穴verb | zǒu xué | (of itinerant entertainers) to tour, playing in many venues |
| 点穴verb | diǎn xué | to hit a pressure point (martial arts) |
| 空穴noun | kòng xué | electron hole (physics) |
| 空穴来风未必无因 | kòng xué lái fēng wèi bì wú yīn | wind does not come from an empty cave without reason |
| 百会穴 | bǎi huì xué | (TCM) acupuncture point GV-20, located at the top of the head |
穴 appears in 49 compound words: 16 as the first character, 76 as the last, and 8 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 穴 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (2)
Example Sentences
穴字虽然难写，但意思很有趣。
xué zì suī rán nán xiě , dàn yì sī hěn yǒu qù .
The character "穴" may be difficult to write, but its meaning is quite interesting.
贵阳修文一处在洞穴天坑内新开的咖啡馆，近期也在社交媒体走红。
guì yáng xiū wén yī chǔ zài dòng xué tiān kēng nèi xīn kāi de kā fēi guǎn , jìn qī yě zài shè jiāo méi tǐ zǒu hóng .
A newly opened café located inside a cave and sinkhole in Xiuwen, Guiyang, has recently gone viral on social media.
穴位保健是日常养生的辅助手段，三伏针灸需因人辨证、由专业医生操作。
xué wèi bǎo jiàn shì rì cháng yǎng shēng de fǔ zhù shǒu duàn , sān fú zhēn jiǔ xū yīn rén biàn zhèng , yóu zhuān yè yī shēng cāo zuò .
Acupoint therapy is a complementary method for daily health maintenance; “Three-Foo” acupuncture must be tailored to each individual’s condition and performed by a licensed practitioner.
水肿消不掉?网爆红“除湿穴位”按完象腿秒变细 网实测:超有感
shuǐ zhǒng xiāo bù diào ? wǎng bào hóng chú shī xué wèi àn wán xiàng tuǐ miǎo biàn xì wǎng shí cè : chāo yǒu gǎn
Can’t get rid of swelling? A viral “anti-water retention pressure point” instantly slims “elephant legs”—online tests confirm: it really works
荨麻疹抓不停!中医曝调体质是关键 “5穴位”有效止痒
荨 má 疹 zhuā bù tíng ! zhōng yī pù diào tǐ zhì shì guān jiàn 5 xué wèi yǒu xiào zhǐ yǎng
Can’t Stop Scratching Your Hives? Traditional Chinese Medicine Experts Say Balancing Your Constitution Is Key—These “5 Acupoints” Effectively Relieve Itching
民宅旁空地见绿鬣蜥巢穴 南市府安排委外厂商巡查
mín zhái páng kōng dì jiàn lǜ 鬣 蜥 cháo xué nán shì fǔ ān pái wěi wài hǎn shāng xún chá
Green iguana nest found on vacant lot next to residential home; Nantou City Government arranges for a contractor to conduct inspections
不入虎穴，焉得虎子。
Bùrùhǔxué, yāndéhǔzǐ.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
汤姆害怕待在洞穴里。
Tāngmǔ hàipà dài zài dòngxué lǐ.
Tom was afraid to stay in the cave.
他真是刚出狼窝又入虎穴。
Tā zhēnshi gāng chū láng wō yòu rù hǔ xué.
He fell out of the frying pan into the fire.
这地方有多少洞穴？
Zhè dìfang yǒu duōshao dòngxué?
How many caves are there in this area?
Character Family
穴 Radical Family — Characters sharing the cave radical
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 穴 (xué) mean in Chinese?
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What are the components of 穴?
What are common words containing 穴?
What characters sound the same as 穴 (xué)?
Is 穴 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 穴 with real-time feedback
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