Chinese character 克

Translate the whole word: 克 has several related senses.

In Chinese, 克服 means “overcome,” 克制 means “restrain,” and 公克 means “gram.” In 不克 (“be unable”), 不 supplies the negative; 克 itself does not mean “unable.”

What does 克 mean on its own?

A lone 克 gives too little context for one translation.

It could belong to a word about overcoming, restraint, ability, or weight. Ask for the full expression before taking it as “win.”

Where does 克 come from?

The graph is ancient; its earliest picture remains uncertain.

Recognisable ancestors appear in Shang oracle-bone inscriptions and Western Zhou bronze inscriptions, early periods in Chinese history; oracle-bone writing was carved on bones used for divination. A Han-era Chinese dictionary, Shuowen Jiezi, explains 克 through a shoulder’s ability to bear a load. That is an old interpretation, not proof that the earliest drawing depicted a shoulder; later explanations connect bearing a burden with overcoming.

Korean Sino-Korean vocabulary—Chinese-derived words read in Korean—uses 克 in formal compounds such as 克服 (overcoming) and 克己 (self-control). The Chinese phrase 克己复礼 links self-restraint with returning to ritual propriety in Confucian thought.