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机动 (jī dòng) — motorized; power-driven; flexible; adaptable; reserved for contingency

Definition

机动 has two distinct senses: 'motorized, power-driven' (e.g. 机动车辆) and 'flexible, reserved for contingency' (e.g. 机动时间). The flexibility sense is narrower than 灵活 — it implies time/resources held back for unexpected needs, not general nimbleness.

adjective
motorizedpower-drivenflexibleadaptablereserved for contingency
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Chéng shì lǐ jī dòng chē liàng yuè lái yuè duō.
    There are more and more motor vehicles in the city.
  • 机动。
    Zhè ge jì huà liú le yì xiē jī dòng shí jiān.
    This plan has some flexible time set aside.
  • 机动。
    Bù duì de jī dòng néng lì hěn qiáng.
    The troops have strong mobility/flexibility.

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.

机jīmachine
动dòngmove

'机' (machine) and '动' (move) together mean machine-driven or able to move flexibly.

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
木木mùtree; wood
Sound part声符shēngfú
几
几jǐ机jī
Same sound today

The left part is 木 (tree; wood), and the right part 几 gives the sound.

Open 机 →

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 動; 动 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng動dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 動 uses 力 (strength) and 重 as a sound part; 重 refers to a heavy bag ready to be moved by a human. This note is about 動, not 动.

Open 动 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6

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