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主攻 (zhǔ gōng) — main attack (in military operations); main attacker (in sports, e.g., volleyball)

Definition

A noun meaning 'main attack' or 'main attacker' — in sports the player designated as the lead scorer (e.g., volleyball); in research/any field, the primary focus or direction. Pairs with 方向 / 部队 / 队员 to specify what's being targeted.

noun
main attack (in military operations)main attacker (in sports, e.g., volleyball)

Examples

  • 主攻。
    Zhè cì zhàn yì de zhǔ gōng bù duì shì dì sān shī.
    The main attack unit in this battle is the Third Division.
  • 主攻。
    Tā zài qiú duì zhōng dān rèn zhǔ gōng.
    He serves as the main attacker on the team.
  • 主攻。
    Tā de yán jiū zhǔ gōng fāng xiàng shì rén gōng zhì néng.
    His main research focus is artificial intelligence.

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.

主zhǔmain
攻gōngattack

主 means main, 攻 means attack, so 主攻 is the main attack.

Characters in this word

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

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

Open 主 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攵Written in full as攴pūhand holding a tool or weapon
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng攻gōng
Same sound today

攻 puts 工, which gives the pronunciation, beside 攵, a hand holding a tool or weapon.

Open 攻 →
Appears in
Military & DefenseSports & Athletics

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