guāng

Traditional: 光

#1752 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

light, ray, bare, used up, only

Word origin

An ancient character originally showing fire 火 above a kneeling person, depicting a person holding up a torch, hence light and brightness.

Origin
ideograph
Root
火 (huǒ, fire) over 人 (rén, person)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 光

Examples

Sunlight shone into the room.

The lake is beautiful in the moonlight.

All the money has been spent.

shātān

He walked barefoot on the beach.

Don't just talk without doing anything.

光 (guāng) means light or a ray, and by extension bare or used up (as in 花光, spent entirely), and as an adverb only or merely. It is a highly versatile everyday character.

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This word is part of lesson 36.