耕耘 (gēng yún) literally means 'to plow and weed' (farm work), but is far more common in its figurative sense: to work hard and persistently at a long-term endeavor, like a field of study or career. Unlike 培养 (péi yǎng), which focuses on nurturing people or abilities, 耕耘 emphasizes sustained effort in a domain; unlike 耕 (gēng) or 耕地 (gēng dì), it is almost always metaphorical in modern usage.