职业化 (zhí yè huā) — to professionalize, to become professional

Definition

A verb or noun (verbify with 化) meaning 'to professionalize' — to turn a field, sport, or activity into one with paid, trained specialists and proper standards.

verb
to professionalizeto become professional

Examples

  • 职业化。
    Zhōng guó zú qiú zhèng zài jiā sù zhí yè huā.
    Chinese football is accelerating its professionalization.
  • 职业化。
    Zhè ge háng yè xū yào zhí yè huā guǎn lǐ.
    This industry needs to professionalize its management.
  • 职业化。
    Yùn dòng yuán de zhí yè huā tí gāo le bǐ sài shuǐ píng.
    The professionalization of athletes raised the level of competition.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

职业profession
职zhíjob业yèoccupation
联合Side by side
化huàbecome

职业 (job/occupation) and 化 (becoming) mean to make something a profession.

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 職; 职 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
戠
戠zhí職zhí
Same sound today

The traditional form 職 pairs 耳 (ear) with 戠, which gives its sound; the simplified 职 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 职 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 業; 业 is its simplified writing.

  • 丵丵zhuóchisel
  • 大大dàperson; big

The traditional 業 is explained as a picture of a beam from which bells and chimes hang, or as a person lifting that beam. The simplified 业 is a shorthand, not the original shape.

Open 业 →

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

化 shows two person figures, one upright and one upside down, to give the idea of reversal or change.

Open 化 →

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