巩固 (gǒng gù) — (verb) to consolidate; to strengthen; (adjectiv… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Strengthen or make more solid something already built — used for things you keep improving over time (skills, alliances, foundations). More of a process than 坚固 ('already firm').

verb

to consolidateto strengthen

adjective

consolidatedsolidstable

Examples

巩固。
Wǒ men xū yào gǒng gù liǎng guó zhī jiān de yǒu hǎo guān xì.
We need to consolidate the friendly relations between the two countries.
巩固。
Tōng guò fǎn fù liàn xí lái gǒng gù suǒ xué de nèi róng.
Consolidate what you've learned through repeated practice.
巩固。
Tā men jiàn lì le gǒng gù de yǒu yì.
They built a solid friendship.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

“巩” (firm) and “固” (solid) together mean making something stable.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鞏; 巩 is its simplified writing.

巩革鞏

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

巩

巩gǒng鞏gǒng

Same sound today

The traditional form 鞏 combines 巩, the sound part, with 革, the meaning part; the simplified 巩 is a later shorthand.

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

囗古固

Meaning part形符xíngfú

囗囗wéi

Sound part声符shēngfú

古

古gǔ固gù

Same sound today

固 combines 囗, which relates to the meaning, with 古, which gives the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Abstract Concepts

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