cán

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "can"

Mandarin

Alternative forms

Romanization

cán (can2, Zhuyin ㄘㄢˊ)

  1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 嬠
  2. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 嬱
  3. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 慙／惭, 慚／惭
  4. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 殘／残
  5. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 淺／浅
  6. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 蚎
  7. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 蝅
  8. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 蠶／蚕
  9. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 蠺
  10. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 蚕

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “From Proto-Vietic *kaːnʔ. Possibly non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 桿 (“handle; lever”, SV: can).”

Noun

(classifier cây, cái) cán • (桿)

  1. a handle; grip; staff; lever (especially of a tool)
    • 1957, Đoàn Giỏi, chapter 3, in Đất rừng phương Nam, Kim Đồng:
      Cầm chặt cán dao trong tay, tôi bỗng thấy người mình như cao lớn hắn lên; […]
      Firmly holding the handle of the knife in my hand, I suddenly felt as if I were much taller;
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Sino-Vietnamese word from 擀.

Verb

cán

  1. to flatten; to crush (especially with rolling cylindrical objects)
  2. (figurative) to run over (with a vehicle)
    ...bị xe cán. ― ...got run over by a car.
Derived terms

Etymology 3

Sino-Vietnamese word from 幹.

Compound part

cán

  1. (only in compounds) to work; to manage; to be capable
Derived terms

Anagrams

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