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立功 (lì gōng) — to render meritorious service; to distinguish oneself through achievements

Definition

立功 means to earn merit through deeds, usually official or military. 脱颖而出 focuses on revealing hidden talent; 成才 refers to growing into a capable person over time.

verb
to render meritorious serviceto distinguish oneself through achievements

Examples

  • 。
    Tā xī wàng néng zài zhè cì rèn wu zhōng lì gōng.
    He hopes to make a distinguished contribution in this mission.
  • 。
    Tā céng zài jūn duì zhōng lì guò liǎng cì dà gōng.
    He has achieved great meritorious service twice in the army.
  • ，立功。
    Zhǐ yǒu nǔ lì gōng zuò, cái yǒu jī huì lì gōng.
    Only by working hard can one have the chance to make outstanding contributions.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

立lìestablish
功gōngmerit

立 means 'establish' and 功 means 'merit', so the action is to establish merit.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

立 pictures a person standing on the ground.

Open 立 →

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
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng功gōng
Same sound today

功 puts 力 (strength) beside 工, which gives the sound gōng and means labour or work.

Open 功 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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