工程部 (gōng chéng bù) — engineering department

Definition

noun

engineering department

Measure word · 个

工程部。
Tā zài gōng chéng bù gōng zuò.
He works in the engineering department.
工程部。
gōng chéng bù De jīng lǐ jīn tiān kāi huì.
The manager of the engineering department is having a meeting today.
工程部。
Qǐng bǎ zhè fèn wén jiàn sòng dào gōng chéng bù.
Please send this document to the engineering department.

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.

工程engineering

偏正Modifier + head

部bùdepartment

工程 gives the sense of engineering or a project, and 部 gives the sense of a division, forming an engineering department.

Characters in this word

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.

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

禾呈程

Meaning part形符xíngfú

禾禾hégrain

Sound part声符shēngfú

呈

Same sound today

程 is made from 禾 (grain) and 呈 (pronounced chéng); the evidence gives measurements.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

咅

咅pǒu部bù

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

部 pairs 咅, which gives the sound, with 邑. It originally named a place in today's Gansu.