钻井工 (zuàn jǐng gōng) — driller; oil rig worker

Definition

A compound noun meaning 'driller / oil rig worker' — the person who operates a drilling rig to bore wells, typically for oil or gas extraction.

noun

drilleroil rig worker

Measure word · 个

钻井工。
Tā zài yóu tián dāng zuàn jǐng gōng.
He works as a driller at an oil field.
钻井工。
Zhè ge zuàn jǐng gōng hěn yǒu jīng yàn.
This driller is very experienced.
钻井工。
Gōng sī xū yào zhāo pìn sān míng zuàn jǐng gōng.
The company needs to hire three drillers.

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.

钻井drill a well

动宾Verb + object

钻 gives drilling, 井 gives the well, and 工 gives the worker who does it.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鑽; 钻 is its simplified writing.

釒贊鑽

Meaning part形符xíngfú

釒Written in full as金jīn

Sound part声符shēngfú

贊

贊zàn鑽zuàn

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

The traditional form 鑽 pairs 釒 (metal) with 贊, which gives the sound; the simplified 钻 is a later shorthand.

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

The shape of 井 draws a square well with supports on four sides.

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

The shape of 工 is a picture of a bladed tool used to plow ground or mark a border; some read it as a carpenter's square.