(gōng) - work, labour; worker, craftsman; skilled (mostly in compounds like 工作, 工人, 工程) in Mandarin
gōngTraditional: 工
Translation
work, labour; worker, craftsman; skilled (mostly in compounds like 工作, 工人, 工程)
Word origin
A pictographic character depicting a carpenter's set square or ruler, the tool of a craftsman, from which the senses of work, labour and worker developed.
- Origin
- pictographic
- Root
- 工 (a pictograph of a carpenter's square, hence work)
Stroke order
工
Examples
。
He works hard every day.
。
This job is not easy.
。
I start a new job next month.
厂。
He works as a labourer at the factory.
。
This piece of work is not yet finished.
工 (gōng) means work, labour, or craft. It mostly appears inside compounds in modern Mandarin: 工作 (work, job), 工人 (worker), 工程 (engineering project), 工厂 (factory). The standalone meaning of work or labour holds the cluster together.
Appears in 2 words
Multi-character compounds in the corpus that contain 工.
Used in
Grammar articles
(8)Mandarin Aspect Markers: 了, 在/正在, 过 - the System That Replaces Tense
Mandarin Co-verbs: 从, 到, 在, 用, 坐, 给 - the Prepositions That Look Like Verbs
Concession in Mandarin: 虽然...还是/但是, 不过, and 还是 (Although, Even So, Nonetheless)
Mandarin Conjunctions: 虽然…但是, 因为…所以, 如果…就 and the Paired Structures That Join Clauses
Mandarin Intermediate Grammar (B1-B2 / HSK 4-5): Complements, Conjunctions and the Full 了 System
Mandarin Modal Verbs: 会, 想, 要, 应该, 可以, 能 and the Future-Intent Words 打算, 准备
Mandarin Resultative Complements: Fusing a Result onto the Verb (看见, 吃完, 找到)
Mandarin Word Order: SVO, Topic-Comment, and the 把 Construction That Reorders Everything
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Go to my review queueThis word is part of lesson 104.