light; only; used up
HSK level
光 (guāng) is a versatile Chinese word.
As a noun it means 'light' or 'ray' — physical illumination (阳光 sunlight, 灯光 lamplight). As an adverb it means 'only / merely,' emphasizing that one thing is the sole factor (光说不做 = 'only talk, no action'). As an adjective/resultative it means 'used up / bare,' indicating nothing is left (吃光了 eaten up, 花光了 spent it all; 光脚 barefoot).
It is register-neutral. English speakers should note the three senses attach to different positions: the 'only' sense sits before a verb like an adverb, and the 'used up' sense follows a verb as a resultative complement (V+光). The 'light' noun also extends figuratively to honor and glory, as in 光荣 (glory) and 沾光 (to benefit from someone's good fortune).
屋子里一点光都没有。
Wūzi lǐ yìdiǎn guāng dōu méiyǒu.
There isn't a bit of light in the room.
spoken
你别光看书，也要多休息。
Nǐ bié guāng kàn shū, yě yào duō xiūxi.
Don't just read all the time; rest more too.
spoken
蛋糕被孩子们吃光了。
Dàngāo bèi háizimen chī guāng le.
The cake was eaten up by the children.
spoken
早晨的阳光照进了房间。
Zǎochén de yángguāng zhào jìn le fángjiān.
The morning sunlight shone into the room.
written
光 is written with 6 strokes. Tap replay to watch each character drawn again.
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