The story of 空

empty, space

空 depicts a shovel(工) inside a cave(穴). A cave will have more space inside if we use a shovel to dig it. Also, if a cave is empty inside, it has more space inside. On the other hand, since the sky is spacious and seems empty, 空 is also used to describ the sky.

Vocabulary of 空

  • 真空 (vaccum)
  • 空軍 (air force)
  • 太空 (outer space)

Classification

Related Characters: