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改行 (gǎi háng) — to change one's occupation, to switch careers

Definition

改行 means to switch to a different career or profession entirely. Unlike 换工作 (changing jobs in the same field), this implies a real change of occupation.

verb
to change one's occupationto switch careers

Examples

  • 改行，。
    Wǒ gǎi háng le, xiàn zài zuò yī shēng.
    I changed my occupation and now work as a doctor.
  • ，。
    Tā gǎi guò liǎng huí xíng, dōu bù chéng gōng.
    He has changed occupations twice, both times unsuccessfully.
  • 改行？
    Nǐ dǎ suàn gǎi háng zuò shén me?
    What do you plan to switch to?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

改gǎichange
行xíngtrade

'改' means to change and '行' is one's trade; changing trade means switching careers.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
巳
巳sì改gǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

An early form of 改 paired 巳 as a sound part with 攴 as a meaning part; the sound part later changed.

Open 改 →

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

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →
Appears in
Professions & Jobs

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