cán

See also: Appendix:Variations of "can"

Mandarin

Alternative forms

• can — nonstandard

Romanization

cán (can², Zhuyin ㄘㄢˊ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 嬠
2. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 嬱
3. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 慙／惭, 慚／惭
4. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 殘／残
5. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 淺／浅
6. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 蚎
7. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 蝅
8. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 蠶／蚕
9. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 蠺
10. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 蚕

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [kaːn˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kaːŋ˦˧˥]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [kaːŋ˦˥]

Etymology 1

Noun

(classifier cây, cái) cán • (桿)

1. a handle; grip; staff; lever (especially of a tool)
   • 1957, Đoàn Giỏi, chapter 3, in Đất rừng phương Nam, Kim Đồng:

     Cầm chặt cán dao trong tay, tôi bỗng thấy người mình như cao lớn hắn lên; […]

     Firmly holding the handle of the knife in my hand, I suddenly felt as if I were much taller; […]

Derived terms

• cán cân (“balance”)
• dốt đặc cán mai (“dumb as an apricot handle”)

 

Etymology 2

Sino-Vietnamese word from 擀.

Verb

cán

1. to flatten; to crush (especially with rolling cylindrical objects)
2. (figurative) to run over (with a vehicle)

   ...bị xe cán. ― ...got run over by a car.

Derived terms

• máy cán (“laminator”)
• ngay cán tàn (“long face”)

 

Etymology 3

Sino-Vietnamese word from 幹.

Compound part

cán

1. (only in compounds) to work; to manage; to be capable

Derived terms

• áo đại cán (“cadre tunic”)
• cán bộ (幹部, “cadre”)
• cán sự (幹事, “technician”)
• công cán (公幹, “labor”)
• cốt cán (“core cadre”)
• đại cán (“cadre”)
• mẫn cán (敏幹, “diligent”)
• tài cán (才幹, “ability”)

 

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