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出动 (chū dòng) — to dispatch (troops, police, etc.); to set out (on a mission)

Definition

出动 describes an organized body (troops, police, fire crews) being sent into action or setting out. Unlike 动身, it is not for a personal journey; unlike 发动, the focus is on the unit moving out, not on starting a machine or campaign.

verb
to dispatch (troops, police, etc.)to set out (on a mission)

Examples

  • 出动。
    Jūn duì yǐ jīng chū dòng le.
    The troops have already set out.
  • 出动。
    Jǐng fāng chū dòng le dà liàng jǐng chá wéi chí zhì xù.
    The police dispatched a large number of officers to maintain order.
  • 出动。
    Xiāo fáng duì jiē dào huǒ zāi bào gào hòu lì jí chū dòng.
    The fire brigade set out immediately after receiving the fire report.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

出chūgo out
动dòngmove

In 出动, 动 expresses moving and 出 adds the sense of going out, giving a meaning of setting out or dispatching.

Characters in this word

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

出 combines 止 (foot) and 凵 (cave) to show a foot stepping out of a cave.

Open 出 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Military & Defense

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