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建造 (jiàn zào) — to build; to construct

Definition

建造 (jiànzào) means 'to build/construct' concrete things like bridges, buildings, or parks. Use it for physical construction projects, unlike 建设 (which targets institutions or systems) or 建 (which also covers abstract 'to establish').

verb
to buildto construct

Examples

  • 建造。
    Gōng rén men zhèng zài jiàn zào yí zuò xīn dà qiáo.
    The workers are building a new big bridge.
  • 建造。
    Zhè zuò tǐ yù guǎn shì qù nián jiàn zào de.
    This gymnasium was built last year.
  • 建造。
    Tā men jì huà zài hé biān jiàn zào yí gè gōng yuán.
    They plan to build a park by the river.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

建jiànbuild
造zàomake/build

建 and 造 both mean make or build, so together they describe constructing something.

Characters in this word

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

  • 廴廴yǐn
  • 聿聿yù

The shape 建 shows 廴 and 聿, but it comes from an older drawing of a hand planting a pole into a base; the lower part of 聿 is not a brush.

Open 建 →

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
辵辵chuòto walk
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
屮
屮chè造zào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Its origin is unclear, but early forms of 造 include 辵 (to walk) and 口, with 屮 as a sound part, and mean go or arrive.

Open 造 →
Appears in
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