gěng

绠

Character · NounTraditional綆

well rope; short rope (metaphor)

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

2 senses · 4 examples
1.

noun

a rope for drawing water from a well

literary

A classical term used specifically for well ropes. Often appears in literary or historical contexts.

Tā他
yòng用
yī一
tiáo条
jiù旧
gěng绠
cóng从
jǐng井
lǐ里
dǎ打
shuǐ水
 。

He drew water from the well with an old rope.

 《
Zhuāng庄
zǐ子
 》
zhōng中
tí提
dào到
 ：
 “
Gěng绠
duǎn短
zhě者
bù不
kě可
yǐ以
jí汲
shēn深
 。
 ”

Zhuangzi mentions: "One with a short rope cannot draw from a deep well."

2.

noun

something short or insufficient; a metaphor for limited talent or shallow knowledge

literary

Used idiomatically, derived from the proverb '绠短汲深' (a short rope cannot reach deep water).

Shēn深
gǎn感
gěng绠
duǎn短
 ，
kǒng恐
nán难
shèng胜
rèn任
cǐ此
zhòng重
rèn任
 。

I deeply feel my inadequacy and fear I may not be up to this important task.

Chéng成
yǔ语
 “
gěng绠
duǎn短
jí汲
shēn深
 ”
jiù就
shì是
yóu由
cǐ此
ér而
lái来
 。

The idiom 'gěng duǎn jí shēn' (a short rope cannot reach deep water) comes from this.