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总动员 (zǒng dòng yuán) — total mobilization; general mobilization

Definition

A set phrase meaning 'mobilize everyone/all resources' for a big push — war, disaster relief, or a national campaign. Refers to the action itself, not the people involved.

noun
total mobilizationgeneral mobilization

Examples

  • 总动员。
    Guó jiā fā bù le zhàn zhēng zǒng dòng yuán lìng.
    The country issued a war mobilization order.
  • 总动员。
    Quán guó zǒng dòng yuán kàng jī zì rán zāi hài.
    The whole nation mobilized to fight natural disasters.
  • 总动员。
    Zhè cì zǒng dòng yuán diào dòng le suǒ yǒu kě yòng zī yuán.
    This general mobilization deployed all available resources.

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.

总zǒnggeneral/total
动员mobilize
动dòngmove员yuánpeople/member
动宾Verb + object

总 gives the sense of general or total, while 动 and 员 together refer to moving people.

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 總; 总 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìrope
Sound part声符shēngfú
悤
悤cōng總zǒng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 總 has 糸, a rope, and 悤 as a sound part; the rope part is for binding together. This account is for 總, not for 总.

Open 总 →

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 →

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 員; 员 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鼎鼎dǐngding
Sound part声符shēngfú
〇
〇líng員yuán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 員, 〇 supplies the sound and 鼎 supplies the meaning; the simplified 员 is a shortened form.

Open 员 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

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