Meaning
括 (kuò) is primarily used as a verb meaning 'to include' or 'to encompass.' It appears most commonly in compound words rather than standing alone, with 包括 (bāokuò) being by far the most frequent usage, meaning 'to include' or 'including.' The character itself suggests gathering or bringing things together within boundaries.
Usage
This character rarely appears alone in modern Mandarin and is almost always found in compounds. The most common is 包括, used in both spoken and written contexts to list items or indicate inclusion. When you see 括 by itself, it's often in formal or literary contexts, or as part of technical terminology like 括号 (brackets/parentheses).
Examples
- 01这个价格包括所有费用。.This price includes all fees.
- 02请用括号把重要内容括起来。.Please use parentheses to enclose the important content.
Common collocations
- 包括在内to be included
- 总括to sum up, to summarize
Antonyms
Origin
The character 括 combines the hand radical 扌(shǒu) with 舌 (tongue), originally suggesting the action of binding or tying together with the hands, which extended to the meaning of enclosing or including things together.