口子

kǒuzi

HSK 7

口子 — kǒuzi

1. hole; opening; gap (physical)

   墙上有一个口子，风从那里进来。 qiángshàng yǒu yígè kǒuzi fēng cóng nàlǐ jìnlái — There's a hole in the wall; wind comes in through it.

2. cut; gash (wound or tear)

   他手上有个口子，出血不少。 tā shǒushàng yǒu gè kǒuzi chūxiě bùshǎo — He has a cut on his hand, bleeding quite a bit.

3. loophole; gap; weak point (figurative opening to exploit)

   这份合同有个口子，律师说可以利用。 zhèfèn hétóng yǒu gè kǒuzi lǜshī shuō kěyǐ lìyòng — There's a loophole in the contract; the lawyer says it can be used.

4. (colloquial, jocular) my husband or wife; spouse

   回家啦，口子在厨房做饭呢。 huíjiā la kǒuzi zài chúfáng zuòfàn ne — I'm home — my (other half) is cooking in the kitchen (playful).

5. classifier for people (used to indicate number of people in a family, etc.)

   他家是个五口子的大家庭。 tājiā shì gè wǔ kǒuzi de dàjiātíng — His family is a household of five people.

6. precedent; opening for action (e.g., creating an opportunity)

   这次成功给了我们一个口子，可以继续推广这个项目。 zhècì chénggōng gěi le wǒmen yígè kǒuzi kěyǐ jìxù tuīguǎng zhège xiàngmù — This success gave us an opening (precedent); we can continue to promote the project.