运 (yùn) — to transport, to ship; to use, to apply
Definition
运 (yùn) is a verb meaning 'to transport' or 'to apply/use' (as a method). Don't confuse it with the noun 运气 ('luck') or the adverb 幸运 ('luckily') — same character, different word and part of speech.
verb
to transportto shipto useto apply
Easily confused
Examples
- 运。Gōng rén men bǎ huò wù yùn dào chē zhàn.The workers transported the goods to the station.
- 运。Zhè ge gōng shì kě yǐ yùn lái jiě jué hěn duō wèn tí.This formula can be applied to solve many problems.
- ，运。Xiāng zi tài zhòng, qǐng bāng wǒ yùn yí xià.The box is too heavy; please help me move it.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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.
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