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能动 (néng dòng) — active; dynamic; proactive (often in philosophical or scientific contexts)

Definition

In Marxist philosophy, 能动 contrasts with 被动 (passive): it describes active, initiating agency — a subject that acts on the world rather than being acted upon.

adjective
activedynamicproactive (often in philosophical or scientific contexts)

Examples

  • 能动。
    Fā huī zhǔ guān néng dòng xìng cái néng jiě jué wèn tí.
    Only by leveraging subjective initiative can we solve problems.
  • 能动。
    Zhè zhǒng néng dòng kòng zhì xì tǒng fēi cháng xiān jìn.
    This kind of active control system is very advanced.
  • 能动。
    Rén lèi jù yǒu néng dòng gǎi zào shì jiè de néng lì.
    Humans have the ability to actively transform the world.

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.

能néngable
动dòngact

能 means able, 动 means act; together they describe being active or dynamic.

Characters in this word

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

能 is an old picture of a bear, showing two paws and a face with an open mouth.

Open 能 →

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
Abstract Concepts

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