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 | dòng xué | cave |
| 穴居 | xué jū | to live in a cave |
| 巢穴 | cháo xué | lair |
| 墓穴 | mù xué | tomb |
| 太阳穴 | tài yáng xué | temple (on the sides of human head) |
| 地穴 | dì xué | pit |
| 穴位 | xué wèi | acupuncture point |
| 空穴来风 | kōng xué lái fēng | lit. wind from an empty cave (idiom) |
| 穴道 | xué dào | acupuncture point |
| 蚁穴 | yǐ xué | ant nest |
| 走穴 | zǒu xué | (of itinerant entertainers) to tour, playing in many venues |
| 点穴 | diǎn xué | to hit a pressure point (martial arts) |
| 空穴 | 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.
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?
我太阳穴处疼极了。
Wǒ tàiyángxué chǔ téng jíle.
My temples are hurting me terribly.
一条龙住在洞穴里。
Yītiáolóng zhù zài dòngxué lǐ.
A dragon lives inside the cavern.
探险家们在洞穴里发现了骸骨。
Tànxiǎnjiā men zài dòngxué lǐ fāxiàn le háigǔ.
The explorers discovered a skeleton in the cave.
Character Family
穴 Radical Family — Characters sharing the cave radical
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 穴 (xué)?
Is 穴 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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