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动工 (dòng gōng) — to start construction, to break ground (on a project)

Definition

动工 means to break ground and start building a structure (a road, factory, building). Compared with 开工, 动工 focuses on construction beginning on-site, while 开工 also covers factories, projects, or production lines starting operation.

verb
to start constructionto break ground (on a project)

Examples

  • 动工。
    Xīn gōng chǎng xià ge yuè dòng gōng.
    The new factory will start construction next month.
  • ，。
    Tā men yǐ jīng dòng le gōng, zhèng zài dǎ dì jī.
    They have already started construction and are laying the foundation.
  • 动工，。
    Zhè tiáo gāo sù gōng lù qù nián dòng gōng, jīn nián jiù néng tōng chē.
    This highway started construction last year and will open to traffic this year.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

动dòngstart
工gōngconstruction

动 (start) and 工 (construction) together mean to start building work.

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 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 →

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

The shape of 工 is a picture of a bladed tool used to plow ground or mark a border; some read it as a carpenter's square.

Open 工 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Buildings & Structures

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