(gōng) — achievement; meritorious deed; contribution; work (physics)

Definition

功 is a bookish, single-character word meaning 'meritorious deed' (立功, 记一功), paired with 劳 in 功劳 to stress credit for service. In physics, 功 means 'work' (force × distance) — an unrelated sense sharing the same character.

noun
achievementmeritorious deedcontributionwork (physics)

Examples

  • Tā wèi gōng sī lì xià le dà gōng.
    He made a great contribution to the company.
  • Zài wù lǐ xué zhōng, jì suàn gōng de gōng shì shì lì chéng yǐ jù lí.
    In physics, the formula for calculating work is force times distance.
  • Lǎo bǎn yīn wèi tā chū sè de biǎo xiàn gěi tā jì le yì gōng.
    The boss credited him with a merit for his outstanding performance.

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