钻 (zuān): to drill
钻 (zuān) is a Chinese character meaning “to drill.” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 钅 (semantic) and 占 (phonetic). It ranks #1708 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 钻 metal. Its radical form 钅 (metal) appears in many related characters such as 钱 (qián, money), 错 (cuò, wrong, mistake), 钟 (zhōng, clock, bell).
Definitions
- to drill
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 钻 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 钻石 | zuàn shí | diamond |
| 钻头 | zuàn tóu | drill bit |
| 钻进 | zuān jìn | to get into |
| 钻戒 | zuàn jiè | diamond ring |
| 钻孔 | zuān kǒng | to bore a hole |
| 钻探 | zuān tàn | to conduct exploratory drilling |
| 钻井 | zuān jǐng | to drill (e.g. for oil) |
| 钻研 | zuān yán | to study meticulously |
| 电钻 | diàn zuàn | electric drill |
| 钻牛角尖 | zuān niú jiǎo jiān | lit. to penetrate into a bull's horn (idiom) |
| 钻心 | zuān xīn | to sneak in |
| 钻空子 | zuān kòng zi | to take advantage of a loophole |
| 刁钻 | diāo zuān | crafty |
| 手钻 | shǒu zuàn | gimlet |
| 钻探机 | zuān tàn jī | drilling machine |
钻 appears in 52 compound words: 62 as the first character, 31 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 钻 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (5)
lit. to squeeze into every crack (idiom); fig. to make the most of every opportunity
Showing 4 of 5 idioms containing 钻.
Example Sentences
工人们正在用钻机在墙上打孔，安装空调。
Gōngrénmen zhèngzài yòng zuànjī zài qiáng shang dǎkǒng, ānzhuāng kōngtiáo.
The workers are using a drill to make holes in the wall to install air conditioning.
美军5000磅“钻地弹”猛轰伊朗飞弹基地!钻地弹有何功能与...
měi jūn 5 0 0 0 bàng zuān dì dàn měng hōng yī lǎng fēi dàn jī dì ! zuān dì dàn yǒu hé gōng néng yǔ . . .
U.S. military unleashes 5,000-pound "bunker-busting bombs" on Iranian missile bases! What are the capabilities of these bunker-busting bombs and...
伊朗战争|美军用5000磅钻地弹 轰炸霍尔木兹海峡沿岸导弹基地
yī lǎng zhàn zhēng měi jūn yòng 5 0 0 0 bàng zuān dì dàn hōng zhà huò ěr mù zī hǎi xiá yán àn dǎo dàn jī dì
Iran War | U.S. Forces Bombard Missile Bases Along the Strait of Hormuz with 5,000-Pound Bunker-Buster Bombs
...se 闪爆登场:“Swarovski”晶钻版 Chuck Taylor 70
. . . s e shǎn bào dēng chǎng : S w a r o v s k i jīng zuān bǎn C h u c k T a y l o r 7 0
... se flash debut: "Swarovski" Diamond Edition Chuck Taylor 70
3月演唱会懒人包》大港开唱卡司超狂、钻石舞台重现歌厅秀风华
3 yuè yǎn chàng huì lǎn rén bāo dà gǎng kāi chàng kǎ sī chāo kuáng , zuān shí wǔ tái chóng xiàn gē tīng xiù fēng huá
March Concert Lazy Bag" Dagang opened the cast super crazy, and the diamond stage recreated the elegance of the karaoke hall show
...市多上月宣布涨年费 “优惠专案”变调!黑钻会员喊失望
. . . shì duō shàng yuè xuān bù zhǎng nián fèi yōu huì zhuān àn biàn diào ! hēi zuān huì yuán hǎn shī wàng
... Shiduo announced last month that the annual fee increase "preferential project" has changed! Black Diamond members cried out disappointed
这颗钻石不是真的。
Zhè kē zuànshí bù shì zhēn de.
This diamond isn't real.
我觉得这钻石戒指太奢侈了。
Wǒ juéde zhè zuànshí jièzhi tài shēchǐ le.
This diamond ring is too extravagant for me.
钻石被镶在一个金戒指上。
Zuànshí bèi xiāng zài yī gè jīn jièzhi shàng.
The diamond was set in a gold ring.
灰尘钻进了我的一只眼睛。
Huīchén zuānjìn le wǒ de yī zhī yǎnjing.
Dust got into one of my eyes.
Character Family
钅 Radical Family — Characters sharing the metal radical
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 钻 (zuān) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 钻 and 点?
How many strokes does 钻 have?
What is the radical of 钻?
What are the components of 钻?
What are common words containing 钻?
Is 钻 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 钻 with real-time feedback
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