能干 (néng gàn) — capable; competent | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

能干 (nénggàn) means 'capable and practical' — praises someone who gets things done well. 棒 is more general praise ('great'); 胜任 is reserved for being qualified for a specific job or task.

adjective

capablecompetent

Examples

能干。
Tā shì yí gè hěn néng gàn de jīng lǐ.
She is a very capable manager.
，能干。
Tā zuò shì rèn zhēn, dà jiā dōu jué de tā néng gàn.
He works carefully, and everyone thinks he is capable.
，能干。
Zhè me nán de rèn wu, zhǐ yǒu néng gàn de rén cái néng wán chéng.
Only capable people can complete such a difficult task.

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.

能 gives able and 干 gives do, meaning able to get things done.

Characters in this word

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

能 is an old picture of a bear, showing two paws and a face with an open mouth.

The simplified 干 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (饼干, 干杯) it is 乾; in others (干, 干活儿) (干扰) it is 幹 or 干.

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 乾; 干 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

倝

倝gàn乾gān

Same sound today

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 HSK 2.0 Level 5 Personality & Traits

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