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电工 (diàn gōng) — electrical engineering; electrician

Definition

电工 covers both the person ('electrician') and the field of work ('electrical engineering'), depending on context — used as a profession label (一名电工) or a study major (电工专业).

noun
electrical engineeringelectrician
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 电工，。
    Tā shì yì míng diàn gōng, zhuān mén xiū diàn qì.
    He is an electrician who specializes in repairing electrical appliances.
  • 电工。
    Wǒ dà xué xué de jiù shì diàn gōng zhuān yè.
    What I studied in college was electrical engineering.
  • 电工。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù xū yào yí wèi jīng yàn fēng fù de diàn gōng.
    This project needs an experienced electrician.

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.

电diànelectricity
工gōngwork/worker

电 names electricity and 工 names work or worker; together they mean electrical work or an electrician.

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 電; 电 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn電diàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 電, 雨 (rain) sits with 申, read shēn and meaning lightning.

Open 电 →

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.

Open 工 →
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