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奠基 (diàn jī) — to lay a foundation (for a building); to lay the groundwork (for an undertaking, relationship, etc.)

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to lay the foundation' — used for both literal buildings and figurative groundwork (for a project, relationship, future). Prefer 奠基 for important, large-scale beginnings rather than everyday acts.

verb
to lay a foundation (for a building)to lay the groundwork (for an undertaking, relationship, etc.)

Examples

  • 奠。
    Tā men wèi zhè zuò dà lóu diàn le jī.
    They laid the foundation for this building.
  • 奠基。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù wèi gōng sī de wèi lái diàn jī le.
    This project laid the foundation for the company's future.
  • 奠基。
    Zhè cì chéng gōng wèi tā de shì yè diàn jī.
    This success laid the foundation for his career.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

奠diànlay
基jīfoundation

奠 means to lay or establish, and 基 is the foundation, so together they mean to lay a foundation.

Characters in this word

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

奠 originally pictured an alcohol vessel placed on a mat.

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
其
其qí基jī
Same sound today

The lower 土 means earth, and the upper 其 gives the sound; together they form the idea of a foundation of earth.

Open 基 →
Appears in
Abstract ConceptsBuildings & Structures

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