单干 (dān gàn) — to work on one's own; to do something single-ha… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

单干 (dāngàn) means working or acting entirely alone, often with a hint of stubbornness or refusing to cooperate with others. Implies going it single-handedly, without a team or partners.

verb

to work on one's ownto do something single-handedly

Examples

单干，。
Tā jué dìng zì jǐ dān gàn, bù gēn bié rén hé zuò.
He decided to work on his own, not cooperate with others.
，单干。
Zhè ge xiàng mù tài fù zá le, yí gè rén dān gàn hěn nán wán chéng.
This project is too complex; it's hard to finish working alone.
，单干。
Yǐ qián tā men shì tuán duì, xiàn zài dōu dān gàn le.
Before they were a team, now they all work individually.

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.

To 干 work in a 单 single way means doing something alone.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 單; 单 is its simplified writing.

The form 單 originally pictured a Y-shaped wooden stick with two stones on top.

The simplified 干 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (饼干, 干杯) it is 乾; in others (干, 干活儿) (干扰) it is 幹 or 干.

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 乾; 干 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

倝

倝gàn乾gān

Same sound today

Appears in

Workplace & Office

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