ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY
光
light; bare; used up
guāng
6 strokes · 火 (fire) carried on a person 儿 — a torch-bearer · HSK 2
Where 光 comes from
A person with fire above the head: a torch-bearer. The flame's glow is light; light strips darkness bare, so 光 also means 'nothing left' — 吃光 eaten clean.
光 in Chinese culture
阳光 sunshine, 光年 light-year, 时光 (poetic) time. The 'all gone' sense is everyday magic: 卖光 sold out, 用光 used up. 光临 'your radiant arrival' welcomes customers at every shop door.
Example
阳光 yángguāng — sunshine
米饭被我吃光了。
Mǐfàn bèi wǒ chī guāng le.
I ate up all the rice.
How to remember it
A person carrying FIRE overhead — LIGHT that leaves nothing hidden, nothing LEFT.
欢迎光临, chimed at every store entrance, literally means 'welcome, radiant arrival'.
Same sound, different tones
Words unlocked by 光
阳光 yángguāng
sunshine
吃光 chīguāng
to eat up
Related characters
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