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升空 (shēng kōng) — to lift off, to ascend into the sky

Definition

升空 is a formal/written verb meaning 'lift off / ascend into the sky', used for rockets, aircraft, and drones — not everyday speech.

verb
to lift offto ascend into the sky

Examples

  • 升空。
    Huǒ jiàn chéng gōng shēng kōng le.
    The rocket successfully lifted off.
  • 。
    Zhè jià fēi jī shēng guò yí cì kōng.
    This airplane has lifted off once.
  • 升空。
    Wú rén jī zhǔn bèi shēng kōng.
    The drone is preparing to lift off.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

升shēngrise
空kōngsky

升 means rise and 空 means sky, so 升空 is to rise into the sky.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape comes from a drawing of a standard dipper used to measure one 升.

Open 升 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
穴穴xuécave, hole
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng空kōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

空 is built from 穴, a cave or hole, and 工, which gives the sound.

Open 空 →
Appears in
Space Exploration

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