耕田 (gēng tián) — to plow fields; to till the land

Definition

耕田 means to plow and work the fields — a general, everyday farming term. It covers the whole process of preparing and tilling the land, more comprehensive than just 犁地 (lí dì, specifically turning soil with a plow).

verb
to plow fieldsto till the land

Examples

  • 。
    Tā gēng le sān tiān tián.
    He plowed the fields for three days.
  • 耕田。
    Nóng mín men zhèng zài gēng tián.
    The farmers are plowing the fields.
  • 耕田。
    Yòng tuō lā jī gēng tián hěn kuài.
    Using a tractor to plow the fields is fast.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

耕gēngto plow
田tiánfield

耕 means to plow and 田 means field; together they describe tilling the land.

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
耒耒lěitilling tool
Sound part声符shēngfú
井
井jǐng耕gēng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

耕 is built from 耒, a tilling tool, and 井, which gives the sound.

Open 耕 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

田 looks like a field divided into four sections.

Open 田 →

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