挖坟 挖墳 wā fén to dig a grave / (lit.) to dig up a grave / (fig.) (slang) to dig up an old thread (in an online forum etc) 钻 鑽 zuān to drill / to bore / to get into / to make one's way into / to enter (a hole) / to thread one's way through / to study intensively / to dig into / to curry favor for personal gain syn 凿 鑿 záo (bound form) chisel / to bore a hole / to chisel / to dig / (literary) certain / authentic / irrefutable / also pr. [zuo4] syn 钻孔 鑽孔 zuān kǒng to bore a hole / to drill / drilled hole 埯 ǎn hole in the ground to plant seeds in / to make a hole for seeds / to dibble 小洞不堵，大洞受苦 xiǎo dòng bù dǔ , dà dòng shòu kǔ A small hole not plugged will make you suffer a big hole (idiom) / A stitch in time saves nine. 小洞不堵，大洞难补 小洞不堵，大洞難補 xiǎo dòng bù dǔ , dà dòng nán bǔ If you don't plug the small hole, the big hole will be hard to repair (idiom) / A stitch in time saves nine. 小洞不补大洞吃苦 小洞不補大洞吃苦 xiǎo dòng bù bǔ dà dòng chī kǔ A small hole not plugged will make you suffer a big hole (idiom) / a stitch in time saves nine 弹痕 彈痕 dàn hén bullet hole / shell hole 中白令海环形洞 Central Bering Sea Donut Hole / Donut Hole 耳洞 ěr dòng ear piercing hole / earring hole 耳朵眼儿 耳朵眼兒 ěr duo yǎn r earhole / ear piercing hole / earring hole 挖掘 wā jué to excavate / (lit and fig.) to unearth / to dig into syn 钻进 鑽進 zuān jìn to get into / to dig into (studies, job etc) / to squeeze into syn 出土 chū tǔ to dig up / to appear in an excavation / unearthed / to come up out of the ground 开动 開動 kāi dòng to start / to set in motion / to move / to march / to dig in (eating) / to tuck in (eating) syn 开挖 開挖 kāi wā to dig out / to excavate / to scoop out / to start digging syn 挖空心思 wā kōng xīn si to dig for thoughts (idiom) / to search everything for an answer / to rack one's brains syn 开掘 開掘 kāi jué to dig / to excavate / (fig.) to explore (archival materials) and unearth findings syn 挖开 挖開 wā kāi to dig into / to cut a mine into 探矿 探礦 tàn kuàng to prospect / to dig for coal or minerals syn 自取灭亡 自取滅亡 zì qǔ miè wáng to court disaster (idiom) / to dig one's own grave syn 挖掉 wā diào to dig out / to eradicate 自掘坟墓 自掘墳墓 zì jué fén mù to dig one's own grave syn 凿井 鑿井 záo jǐng to dig a well 开河 開河 kāi hé to open a river / to dig a canal / to thaw (of river) syn 刨根 páo gēn lit. to dig up the root / to get to the heart of (the matter) 挑 tiǎo to raise / to dig up / to poke / to prick / to incite / to stir up syn 挖 wā to dig / to excavate / to scoop out syn 掘 jué to dig syn 拱 gǒng to cup one's hands in salute / to surround / to arch / to dig earth with the snout / arched syn 扒 bā to peel / to skin / to tear / to pull down / to cling to (sth on which one is climbing) / to dig syn 锄 鋤 chú a hoe / to hoe or dig / to weed / to get rid of syn 刨 páo to dig / to excavate / (coll.) to exclude / not to count / to deduct / to subtract syn 抠 摳 kōu to dig / to pick / to scratch (with a finger or sth pointed) / to carve / to cut / to study meticulously / stingy / miserly / to lift up (esp. the hem of a robe) syn 刨根问底 刨根問底 páo gēn wèn dǐ to dig up roots and inquire at the base (idiom) / to get to the bottom of sth syn 穵 wā to dig / to scoop out 罗雀掘鼠 羅雀掘鼠 luó què jué shǔ lit. to net birds and dig for rats (idiom) / fig. hard pressed for cash / on the verge of bankruptcy 临渴穿井 臨渴穿井 lín kě chuān jǐng lit. face thirst and dig a well (idiom) / fig. not to make adequate provision / to act when it is too late 钻故纸堆 鑽故紙堆 zuān gù zhǐ duī to dig into piles of outdated writings (idiom) / to study old books and papers 搰 hú to dig / to mix 洿 wū dig (a pond) / stagnant water 坋 fèn dust, earth / a bank of earth / to dig / to bring together 挖穴 wā xué to excavate / to dig out a cave 文化层 文化層 wén huà céng cultural layer (in an archaeological dig) 疏挖 shū wā to dredge / to dig out (a channel) 临渴掘井 臨渴掘井 lín kě jué jǐng lit. not to dig a well until one is thirsty / to be unprepared and seek help at the last minute (idiom) syn 掘出 jué chū to exhume / to unearth / to dig out 坋 bèn dust / to dust / a bank of earth / to bring together / to dig / also pr. [fen4] 打坐坡 dǎ zuò pō (of a horse, dog etc) to sit back on one's haunches and refuse to be coaxed forward / (of a person) to brace oneself to resist being made to go forward / (fig.) to dig one's heels in 打井 dǎ jǐng to dig a well syn 自掏腰包 zì tāo yāo bāo to pay out of one's own pocket / to dig into one's pocket 圣 kū to dig syn 自然层 自然層 zì rán céng natural layer (in an archaeological dig) 罗雀掘鼠 羅雀掘鼠 luó què - jué shǔ lit. to net sparrows and dig out rats (idiom) / fig. to try every possible means of obtaining food (in times of starvation) 食指大动 食指大動 shí zhǐ - dà dòng (idiom) to be excited to dig into the delicious food 漏洞 lòu dòng leak / hole / gap / loophole syn 黑洞 hēi dòng (astronomy) black hole 口子 kǒu zi hole / opening / cut / gap / gash / my husband or wife / classifier for people (used for indicating the number of people in a family etc) / precedent syn 窟窿 kū long hole / pocket / cavity / loophole / debt syn 铜钱 銅錢 tóng qián copper coin (round with a square hole in the middle, used in former times in China) syn 穿孔 chuān kǒng to punch a hole / to perforate / (medicine) perforation syn 打孔 dǎ kǒng to punch a hole 孔径 孔徑 kǒng jìng diameter of hole 堵死 dǔ sǐ to block (a road) / to plug (a hole) / to stop up 充填 chōng tián to fill (gap, hole, area, blank) / to pad out / to complement / (dental) filling / filled syn 破洞 pò dòng a hole 圆孔 圓孔 yuán kǒng round hole 龟缩 龜縮 guī suō to withdraw / to hole up syn 孔洞 kǒng dòng small hole in an object syn 水坑 shuǐ kēng puddle / water hole / sump 坑洞 kēng dòng hole / pit / pothole 打眼 dǎ yǎn to drill or bore a hole / to attract attention / conspicuous syn 眼 yǎn eye (CL:隻|只[zhi1],雙|双[shuang1]) / (often used with 一[yi1]) a look / a glance / small hole / (bound form) salient point / classifier for wells, cave-dwellings etc syn 冰洞 bīng dòng hole in ice / crevasse 空穴 kòng xué electron hole (physics) 引蛇出洞 yǐn shé chū dòng lit. to pull a snake from its hole / to expose a malefactor (idiom) syn 排水口 pái shuǐ kǒu plughole / drainage hole 孔眼 kǒng yǎn hole (e.g. of sieve or colander) 穿凿 穿鑿 chuān záo to bore a hole / to give a forced interpretation 孔穴 kǒng xué aperture / hole / cavity syn 打孔器 dǎ kǒng qì hole puncher 扩孔 擴孔 kuò kǒng to widen a tube / to ream (i.e. widen a hole) 洞 dòng cave / hole / zero (unambiguous spoken form when spelling out numbers) / CL:個|个[ge4] syn 孔 kǒng hole / CL:個|个[ge4] / classifier for cave dwellings syn 穴 xué cave / cavity / hole / acupuncture point / Taiwan pr. [xue4] syn 堵 dǔ to block up (a road, pipe etc) / to stop up (a hole) / (fig.) (of a person) choked up with anxiety or stress / wall (literary) / (classifier for walls) syn 坎 埳 kǎn old variant of 坎[kan3] / pit / hole syn 窦 竇 dòu (literary) hole / aperture / (anatomy) cavity / sinus syn 窟 kū cave / hole syn 窍 竅 qiào hole / opening / orifice (of the human body) / (fig.) key (to the solution of a problem) syn 窿 lóng cavity / hole syn 琮 cóng jade tube with round hole and rectangular sides, used ceremonially in ancient times 堀 kū cave / hole 窬 yú hole in a wall 镩 鑹 cuān ice spud (aka ice chisel) with a pointy tip / to break a hole in ice (for ice fishing etc) using an ice spud 