工种 (gōng chóng) — type of work, job category (in a trade or industry)

Definition

A formal/workplace term for a 'job category' or 'trade' within an industry — the type of work rather than the worker. Compare 职业 (general career/profession) and 岗位 (a specific post within an organization).

noun
type of workjob category (in a trade or industry)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 工种。
    Zhè ge jiàn zhù gōng dì xū yào bù tóng gōng chóng de gōng rén.
    This construction site needs workers of different trades.
  • 。
    Tā xuǎn zé le diàn hàn gōng chóng zuò wéi zì jǐ de zhí yè.
    She chose welding as her career.
  • 工种。
    Gōng chǎng lǐ měi gè gōng chóng dōu yǒu yán gé de cāo zuò guī fàn.
    Every job category in the factory has strict operating procedures.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

工gōngwork
种zhǒngkind

工 gives the sense of work, and 种 gives the sense of kind, forming a category of job.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 工 is a picture of a bladed tool used to plow ground or mark a border; some read it as a carpenter's square.

Open 工 →

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
禾禾hérice
Sound part声符shēngfú
中
中zhōng种zhǒng
Same sound today

种 pairs 禾, which shows rice or grain and fits meanings like plant and seed, with 中, which gives its sound.

Open 种 →

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