行 (háng) — (noun) row; line; (noun) trade; profession; line of business; (classifier) used for rows or lines of things
Definition
As a noun, 行 means 'line/row' (the thing you stand in) and, more distinctively at HSK 5, 'trade or profession' (一行 'a line of work'). For the profession sense, 行业 names the industry as a whole; 职业 is your specific job.
noun
rowlinetradeprofessionline of business
classifier
used for rows or lines of things
Easily confused
Examples
- 行。Tā xiě le liǎng háng zì.He wrote two lines of characters.
- ？Tā shì gān nǎ yì háng de?What line of work is he in?
- 。Qǐng dà jiā zhàn chéng yì háng.Please stand in a row, everyone.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.
- 彳彳chì
- 亍亍chù
The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.
Appears in
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