重活 (zhòng huó) — heavy work; hard physical labor

Definition

noun

heavy workhard physical labor

Measure word · 个

重活。
Tā měi tiān dōu yào zuò hěn duō zhòng huó.
He has to do a lot of heavy work every day.
重活，。
Zhè zhǒng zhòng huó tài lèi le, wǒ gàn bù liǎo.
This kind of heavy work is too tiring; I can't do it.
重活。
Lǎo bǎn bǎ zuì zhòng de zhòng huó jiāo gěi le tā.
The boss gave the heaviest work to him.

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.

重 means heavy and 活 means work, together heavy work.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

東

東dōng重zhòng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

重 developed from a picture of a man carrying a bag, with 人 for the man and 東 for the bag; a later ground element was folded into the form.

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

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

𠯑

𠯑𠯑活huó

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

活 is built from 氵 (water) and 𠯑, which shows the sound; 𠯑 later changed into 舌.