啃kěn ❶ （一点一点儿地往下咬） bite; gnaw; nibble: ～ 老玉米 nibble at an ear of corn; 把骨头上的肉 ～ 下来 bite meat off the bone; gnaw the meat off a bone; 老鼠能 ～ 穿木头。 A rat can gnaw a hole through wood. 他在 ～ 苹果。 He nibbled on the apple.
❷ （徒劳无益的钻研） take great pains with one's studies: ～ 书本 delve into books; read with great difficulty but with little understanding; make laborious efforts to read
◆啃骨头 gnaw a bone; pick out the residual meat on the bones with teeth; 啃硬骨头 crack a hard nut |