进程 (jìn chéng) — process; course (of events)

Definition

进程 emphasizes an ongoing, advancing course of events — closer to 'process in motion' than 过程 ('process' in general) and broader than 流程 (workflow/procedure).

noun

processcourse (of events)

Examples

进程。
Zhè xiàng gǎi gé jìn chéng zhèng zài wěn bù tuī jìn.
This reform process is steadily advancing.
进程。
Jiào yù jìn chéng zhōng de měi yí gè huán jié dōu hěn zhòng yào.
Every link in the education process is important.
进程。
Wǒ men yīng dāng zūn zhòng zì rán jìn chéng de guī lǜ.
We should respect the laws of natural processes.

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.

进jìnadvance

程chéngcourse

“进” gives advancing, and “程” gives a course or journey, so the word means the course of advance.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 進; 进 is its simplified writing.

辵辵chuòwalk
隹隹zhuīshort-tail bird

The traditional form 進 pairs 辵 (walk) with 隹 (short-tail bird): the picture showed moving forward because a bird can only walk forward, not backward. The simplified 进 is a later shorthand.

Open 进 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

禾呈程

Meaning part形符xíngfú

禾禾hégrain

Sound part声符shēngfú

呈

呈chéng程chéng

Same sound today

程 is made from 禾 (grain) and 呈 (pronounced chéng); the evidence gives measurements.

Open 程 →

Appears in