Definition
攻克 (gōng kè) originally means 'to capture a city or stronghold by force' and is used figuratively for overcoming a major difficulty or problem. It implies a determined, often prolonged effort to 'storm' a barrier, stronger than 克服 (kè fú) 'to overcome' (used for personal weaknesses or general obstacles) and more concrete than 战胜 (zhàn shèng) 'to defeat' (used for opponents or abstract challenges).
verb
to capture (a city, stronghold, etc.)to overcome (a difficulty, problem, etc.)
Easily confused
- 功课gōng kèsound-alikehomework, assignment
- 工科gōng kēsound-alikeengineering (as an academic field of study)
Examples
- ，攻克。Jīngguò sān gè yuè jīzhàn, tāmen zhōngyú gōng kè le díjūn zǒngbù.After three months of fierce fighting, they finally captured the enemy headquarters.
- 攻克。Kēyán tuánduì yòng le wǔ nián shíjiān gōng kè zhè xiàng jìshù nánguān.The research team spent five years overcoming this technical hurdle.
- 攻克，。Yào gōng kè zīyuán duǎnquē de wèntí, wǒmen xūyào gèng chuàngxīn de fāng'àn.To solve the problem of resource shortage, we need more innovative solutions.
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