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耕耘 (gēng yún) — (literally) to plow and weed; to do farm work; (figuratively) to cultivate; to work hard and persistently at (a field, project, etc.)

Definition

Literally 'plow and weed' — used figuratively for patiently cultivating a field of work over time. 培养 focuses on nurturing people/talent; 耕耘 emphasizes sustained effort in a project or domain.

verb
(literally) to plow and weedto do farm work(figuratively) to cultivateto work hard and persistently at (a field, project, etc.)

Examples

  • 耕耘。
    Nóng mín zài chūn tiān kāi shǐ gēng yún.
    Farmers start plowing and weeding in spring.
  • 耕耘。
    Tā zài zhè kuài yán jiū lǐng yù gēng yún le duō nián.
    He has cultivated this research field for many years.
  • 耕耘，。
    Zhǐ yào wǒ men jiān chí gēng yún, zǒng huì yǒu shōu huò.
    As long as we keep working hard, we will eventually reap rewards.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

耕gēngplow
耘yúnweed

耕 is plowing and 耘 is weeding, joining two farm actions.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耒耒lěitilling tool
Sound part声符shēngfú
井
井jǐng耕gēng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

耕 is built from 耒, a tilling tool, and 井, which gives the sound.

Open 耕 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Agriculture & Farming

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