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劳动 (láo dòng) — (noun) work, labor, toil; (verb) to work, to labor

Definition

劳动 is the formal/abstract noun for 'labor, work' (physical or mental) — broader and more written than 操劳, which stresses working hard over a long period for someone.

noun
worklabortoil
verb
to workto labor
Measure word · 次

Examples

  • 劳动。
    láo dòng Bāo kuò tǐ lì hé nǎo lì liǎng zhǒng.
    Labor includes both physical and mental types.
  • 劳动。
    Tā zài jiàn zhù gōng dì láo dòng.
    He works at a construction site.
  • 劳动。
    Zhè cì láo dòng ràng wǒ men xué dào le hěn duō.
    This labor session taught us a lot.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

劳láotoil
动dòngmove

“劳” and “动” both point to effort and activity, together meaning labor or 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 勞; 劳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lì
Sound part声符shēngfú
𬡤
𬡤𬡤勞láo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 勞 uses 力 for the meaning and 𬡤 for the sound; the simplified 劳 is a later shortened shape.

Open 劳 →

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 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Workplace & Office

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