含

Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 含 (hán) is composed of two parts: the radical 口 (kǒu), which means "mouth," and the phonetic component 甘 (gān), which means "sweet." The character 含 originally meant "to hold something in the mouth," and it has since extended to mean "to contain," "to include," or "to imply."The radical 口 is one of the most common radicals in Chinese, and it is used in many characters related to the mouth, such as 吃 (chī, "to eat"), 说 (shuō, "to speak"), and 笑 (xiào, "to laugh"). The phonetic component 甘 is also used in many characters related to sweetness, such as 糖 (táng, "sugar"), 蜜 (mì, "honey"), and 甜 (tián, "sweet").The character 含 can be used in a variety of contexts. For example, it can be used to describe the action of holding something in the mouth, such as 含着糖 (hánzhe táng, "holding a piece of candy in one's mouth"). It can also be used to describe the state of being contained or included, such as 含有维生素C (hán yǒu wéishēng sù C, "containing vitamin C"). Additionally, it can be used to describe the act of implying or suggesting something, such as 含有讽刺意味 (hán yǒu fěng cì yì wèi, "containing a satirical meaning").The character 含 is a versatile character that can be used in a variety of contexts. It is an important character for HSK learners to know, as it is used in many common words and phrases.