TongTong
Sign in

运行 (yùn xíng) — （for systems, programs, vehicles, celestial bodies, etc.）to operate, to run, to function

Definition

运行 is for systems, machines, or transit already in motion — a program running, a subway line operating. Use 运营 for a business, and 运作 for coordinated activity inside an organization.

verb
（for systems, programs, vehicles, celestial bodies, etc.）to operateto runto function

Examples

  • 运行。
    Zhè ge chéng xù kě yǐ zài shǒu jī shàng yùn xíng.
    This program can run on a phone.
  • 运行18。
    Zhè tiáo xīn dì tiě xiàn měi tiān yùn xíng 18 gè xiǎo shí.
    This new subway line runs 18 hours a day.
  • 24运行。
    Gōng chǎng de jī qì 24 xiǎo shí bù tíng yùn xíng.
    The factory's machines run non-stop 24 hours a day.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

运yùnmove
行xínggo

运 and 行 both suggest moving or proceeding, so together they mean to operate or run.

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 運; 运 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòmotion
Sound part声符shēngfú
軍
軍jūn運yùn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 運 combines 辵, meaning motion, with 軍 to give the sound; the simplified 运 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 运 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Technology & Engineering

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.