142) 穴

xue

hole, cave

This character depicts the entrance to the cave (八) used as a houses (宀)

142yx) 牙

ya

tooth

142y-25a) 穿

chuan

penetrate; wear

cave 穴¹⁴²[xué] + tooth 牙 [yá]

One digs a cave (穴) like a molar (牙) penetrates the gums. Squirming around in clothes while trying to figure out where your arms and legs go has a similar imagery, so this character came to mean ‘to wear (clothes or socks).’

142ax) 囱

cong

142a) 窗

chuang

window

cave 穴 [xué] + chimney 囱 [cōng]

Caves (穴) do not have windows, so people made chimneys (囱) instead

142bx) 工

gong

142b) 空 / 空白

kong / kongbai

air, in vain; void

cave 穴 [xué] + tool/work 工 [gōng]

An empty cave (穴) dug out with tools (工), only filled with air.

142cx) 犬

quan

142c) 突

tu

sudden, abrupt

cave 穴 [xué] + dog 犬¹⁷²[quǎn]

A sudden and abrupt jump of a dog (犬) out of a cave-like (穴) hole