征募 (zhēng mù) — to enlist; to recruit

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to recruit / enlist', used in official or institutional contexts (army, government, organizations). Unlike everyday 招聘 (hiring staff for jobs), 征募 implies enrolling people into service or a cause, often on a larger scale.

verb
to enlistto recruit

Examples

  • 征募。
    Jūn duì zhèng zài zhēng mù xīn bīng.
    The army is recruiting new soldiers.
  • 征募。
    Zhè cì zhēng mù huó dòng xī yǐn le hěn duō zhì yuàn zhě.
    This recruitment drive attracted many volunteers.
  • 征募。
    Zhèng fǔ jì huà zhēng mù gèng duō yī hù rén yuán.
    The government plans to recruit more medical staff.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

征zhēngsummon
募mùrecruit

征 and 募 both mean to call up people for service, together forming 'recruit'.

Characters in this word

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 →

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
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
莫
莫mò募mù
Same sound today

募 has 莫 on top and 力 (strength) below, with 莫 giving the sound and 力 showing strength.

Open 募 →

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