TongTong
Sign in

应征 (yìng zhēng) — to enlist (military); to respond to a job ad or summons

Definition

应征 means to volunteer or apply in response to a call — chiefly for military enlistment (应征入伍) or a recruitment ad. As a separable verb, the object (e.g. 一次征) goes between 应 and 征.

verb
to enlist (military)to respond to a job ad or summons

Examples

  • 应征，。
    Tā jué dìng yìng zhēng rù wǔ, bǎo wèi guó jiā.
    He decided to enlist in the army to defend his country.
  • ，。
    Tā yìng guò yí cì zhēng, dàn méi tōng guò tǐ jiǎn.
    He once responded to a call but didn't pass the physical exam.
  • ，应征。
    Kàn dào zhāo pìn guǎng gào hòu, wǒ mǎ shàng yìng zhēng le.
    I immediately applied after seeing the recruitment ad.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

应yìngrespond to
征zhēngsummons

应 means respond to, and 征 gives the summons or call to be answered.

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 應; 应 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
䧹
䧹䧹應yìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 應 pairs 心 (heart) with 䧹 as a sound part; the simplified 应 is a later shorthand and its parts are not the original components.

Open 应 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 徵; 征 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 征 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (特征, 象征) it is 徵; in others it is 征.

The story is about the traditional form 徵. It originally meant punishment, from a picture of a knife with tooth-shaped protrusions on its back; later forms kept that sense.

Open 征 →
Appears in
Military & DefenseProfessions & Jobs

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.