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工夫 (gōng fu) — Chinese word meaning

HSK 6

工夫 (gōng fu) is a Chinese word: time; spare time; skill; effort. This page shows its pinyin, translation, example sentences, character breakdown, decomposition, and HSK level.

Meaning of 工夫

名 míng noun

time; spare time; skill; effort

我今天没有工夫去购物。

wǒ jīn tiān méi yǒu gōng fu qù gòu wù

I don't have time to go shopping today.

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Word breakdown

工 gōng — work; labor (contributes the sense of effort or activity)

Words with this character (34)
Show more (+29)
  • 6 打工 dǎ gōng — to work (for wages) HSK 4
    • 打 to do, to engage in (an activity)
    • 工 work, labor
    Example

    很多学生暑假都去打工。

    hěn duō xué sheng shǔ jià dōu qù dǎ gōng

    Many students work during summer vacation.

  • 7 人工 rén gōng — artificial; manual HSK 5
    • 人 human, person; indicates something done by humans
    • 工 work, labor; refers to effort or manual work
    Example

    这是人工智能的时代。

    zhè shì rén gōng zhì néng de shí dài

    This is the era of artificial intelligence.

  • 8 加工 jiā gōng — to process HSK 5
    • 加 to add (adding value or work)
    • 工 work (manufacturing/crafting process)
    Example

    我们需要加工这些原材料。

    wǒ men xū yào jiā gōng zhè xiē yuán cái liào

    We need to process these raw materials.

  • 9 员工 yuán gōng — employee HSK 5
    • 员 member, personnel
    • 工 work, worker
    Example

    公司有一百名员工。

    gōng sī yǒu yì bǎi míng yuán gōng

    The company has one hundred employees.

  • 10 工业 gōng yè — industry HSK 5
    • 工 work, manufacturing, craft
    • 业 occupation, sector, field
    Example

    这个城市的工业发展很快。

    zhè ge chéng shì de gōng yè fā zhǎn hěn kuài

    This city's industrial development is very fast.

  • 11 工具 gōng jù — tool HSK 5
    • 工 work, labor (representing the functional aspect)
    • 具 implement, equipment (representing the physical object)
    Example

    工具箱里有很多工具。

    gōng jù xiāng lǐ yǒu hěn duō gōng jù

    There are many tools in the toolbox.

  • 12 工程 gōng chéng — engineering HSK 5
    • 工 work, construction, technical work
    • 程 procedure, process, course
    Example

    他学习土木工程。

    tā xué xí tǔ mù gōng chéng.

    He studies civil engineering.

  • 13 工程师 gōng chéng shī — engineer HSK 5
    • 工 work, craft, engineering
    • 程 process, procedure, course
    • 师 master, specialist, expert
    Example

    他是一位软件工程师。

    tā shì yī wèi ruǎn jiàn gōng chéng shī

    He is a software engineer.

  • 14 工艺 gōng yì — craft; technology; technique HSK 5
    • 工 work; labor; the practical/technical aspect
    • 艺 art; skill; the artistic/skillful aspect
    Example

    这件家具的工艺非常精湛。

    zhè jiàn jiā jù de gōng yì fēi cháng jīng zhàn

    The craftsmanship of this furniture is very exquisite.

  • 15 手工 shǒu gōng — handicraft, handwork, manual work HSK 5
    • 手 hand (manual aspect)
    • 工 work, craft (skilled labor aspect)
    Example

    手工制作的东西更有价值。

    shǒu gōng zhì zuò de dōng xi gèng yǒu jià zhí

    Handmade things are more valuable.

  • 16 职工 zhí gōng — employee HSK 5
    • 职 position, job, occupation
    • 工 worker, laborer
    Example

    这家公司有一千多名职工。

    zhè jiā gōng sī yǒu yī qiān duō míng zhí gōng

    This company has over a thousand employees.

  • 17 人工智能 réngōng zhìnéng — artificial intelligence HSK 6
    • 人 human; indicates 'human-made' or 'artificial'
    • 工 work, labor; reinforces the 'man-made' or 'constructed' aspect
    • 智 wisdom, intelligence; represents the cognitive aspect
    • 能 ability, capability; indicates functional capacity
    Example

    人工智能可以帮助医生诊断疾病。

    réngōng zhìnéng kěyǐ bāngzhù yīshēng zhěnduàn jíbìng

    Artificial intelligence can help doctors diagnose diseases.

  • 18 分工 fēn gōng — divide work HSK 6
    • 分 divide, separate
    • 工 work, labor
    Example

    我们需要分工合作，才能按时完成项目。

    wǒ men xū yào fēn gōng hé zuò cái néng àn shí wán chéng xiàng mù

    We need to divide the work and cooperate to complete the project on time.

  • 19 工地 gōng dì — construction site HSK 6
    • 工 work, construction
    • 地 site, place, ground
    Example

    附近的工地噪音很大。

    fù jìn de gōng dì zào yīn hěn dà

    The nearby construction site is very noisy.

  • 20 工序 gōng xù — working procedure HSK 6
    • 工 work, manufacturing
    • 序 sequence, step in order
    Example

    这个产品需要经过十个工序才能完成。

    zhè ge chǎn pǐn xū yào jīng guò shí ge gōng xù cái néng wán chéng

    This product needs to go through ten working procedures to be completed.

  • 21 义工 yì gōng — volunteer HSK 7
    • 义 voluntary, righteous (indicating unpaid, willing service)
    • 工 work, worker (the labor or person performing the service)
    Example

    她每周末都去医院做义工。

    tā měi zhōu mò dōu qù yī yuàn zuò yì gōng

    She goes to the hospital to volunteer every weekend.

  • 22 农民工 nóng mín gōng — migrant worker HSK 7
    • 农 agriculture/farming; indicates rural origin
    • 民 people/citizen; refers to the person
    • 工 worker/labor; indicates their occupation
    Example

    农民工为城市建设做出了巨大贡献。

    nóng mín gōng wèi chéng shì jiàn shè zuò chū le jù dà gòng xiàn

    Migrant workers have made great contributions to urban construction.

  • 23 务工 wù gōng — to work as a migrant worker HSK 7
    • 务 to engage in, to be engaged in
    • 工 work, labor
    Example

    他到城里务工，每月寄钱回家。

    tā dào chéng lǐ wù gōng měi yuè jì qián huí jiā

    He went to the city to work as a migrant worker and sends money home every month.

  • 24 动工 dòng gōng — to start construction HSK 7
    • 动 to start, to initiate
    • 工 construction work
    Example

    这个项目下个月动工。

    zhè ge xiàng mù xià ge yuè dòng gōng

    This project will start construction next month.

  • 25 勤工俭学 qín gōng jiǎn xué — work-study program HSK 7
    • 勤 diligent, hardworking (emphasizes industrious attitude toward work)
    • 工 work, labor (refers to the working component of the program)
    • 俭 frugal, economical (emphasizes living frugally and saving money)
    • 学 study, learn (refers to the educational/academic component)
    Example

    很多大学生通过勤工俭学来减轻家庭负担。

    hěn duō dà xué shēng tōng guò qín gōng jiǎn xué lái jiǎn qīng jiā tíng fù dān

    Many college students use work-study programs to reduce their family's burden.

  • 26 工会 gōng huì — labor union HSK 7
    • 工 worker, labor
    • 会 association, union, organization
    Example

    她加入了工会。

    tā jiā rù le gōng huì

    She joined the labor union.

  • 27 工匠 gōng jiàng — craftsman HSK 7
    • 工 work, labor (represents manual work and working profession)
    • 匠 craftsman, master (represents skill, expertise and artisanship)
    Example

    这位老工匠制作的家具非常精美。

    zhè wèi lǎo gōng jiàng zhì zuò de jiā jù fēi cháng jīng měi

    The furniture made by this old craftsman is very exquisite.

  • 28 工整 gōng zhěng — neat HSK 7
    • 工 craftsmanship, skillful execution
    • 整 orderly, tidy
    Example

    他的字写得很工整。

    tā de zì xiě de hěn gōng zhěng

    His handwriting is very neat.

  • 29 工科 gōng kē — engineering disciplines HSK 7
    • 工 engineering, technical work
    • 科 subject, discipline, field of study
    Example

    我的哥哥选择了工科，因为他喜欢数学和物理。

    wǒ de gē ge xuǎn zé le gōng kē yīn wèi tā xǐ huan shù xué hé wù lǐ

    My older brother chose engineering because he likes math and physics.

  • 30 开工 kāi gōng — to start work; to begin construction HSK 7
    • 开 to start, to begin, to open
    • 工 work, construction, operations
    Example

    春节后我们就开工了。

    chūn jié hòu wǒ men jiù kāi gōng le

    We'll start work right after Spring Festival.

  • 31 怠工 dài gōng — to work slowly (deliberately), to slack off HSK 7
    • 怠 negligent, slack, idle
    • 工 work, labor
    Example

    工人们因为不满工资待遇而怠工。

    gōng rén men yīn wèi bù mǎn gōng zī dài yù ér dài gōng

    The workers are slacking off because they're dissatisfied with their wages and benefits.

  • 32 施工 shī gōng — to construct; construction HSK 7
    • 施 to carry out; to implement
    • 工 construction work; engineering
    Example

    这条路正在施工，请绕行。

    zhè tiáo lù zhèng zài shī gōng qǐng rào xíng

    This road is under construction, please detour.

  • 33 竣工 jùn gōng — complete (of construction projects) HSK 7
    • 竣 complete, finish (of projects)
    • 工 construction, engineering work
    Example

    新机场预计三年后竣工。

    xīn jī chǎng yù jì sān nián hòu jùn gōng

    The new airport is expected to be completed in three years.

  • 34 罢工 bà gōng — to strike HSK 7
    • 罢 to stop, to cease
    • 工 work, labor
    Example

    工人们决定罢工要求加薪。

    gōng rén men jué dìng bà gōng yāo qiú jiā xīn

    The workers decided to strike to demand a raise.

夫 fū / fu — suffix (combines with 工 to form the word meaning time or skill)

Contextual pronunciation: fu

Words with this character (7)
Show more (+2)
  • 6 下功夫 xià gōng fu — to put in effort; to work hard at HSK 6
    • 下 to put in; to expend
    • 功 work; effort; merit
    • 夫 time; skill (forms the word for effort/skill)
    Example

    他在这个项目上下了很多功夫。

    tā zài zhè ge xiàng mù shàng xià le hěn duō gōng fu

    He put in a lot of effort on this project.

  • 7 夫人 fū rén — madam HSK 6
    • 夫 husband, man (forming a respectful term)
    • 人 person (completing the respectful term for wife/lady)
    Example

    李先生和他的夫人一起来了。

    Lǐ xiān sheng hé tā de fū rén yì qǐ lái le

    Mr. Li came with his wife.

Structure & writing
1 工 gōng — worker; working class
工 is a component in 19 characters
HSK 2
红 hóng red (color like fresh blood)
HSK 3
差 chā mistake; error 空 kōng empty; hollow; impractical 轻 qīng light in weight; low in density (opposite of '重')
HSK 4
功 gōng merit; achievement (opposite of 过) 巧 qiǎo clever and skillful; ingenious 式 shì shape or form of an object 江 jiāng a large river 项 xiàng (lit.) back of the neck/nape
HSK 5
贡 gòng to offer tribute to the imperial court
HSK 6
巩 gǒng firm, solid 径 jìng narrow path; footpath 攻 gōng to attack, assault; opposite of 'defend' 虹 hóng rainbow (colorful arc in the sky after rain, with seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet)
HSK 7
扛 káng to carry on one's shoulder (without tools) 杠 gàng thick rod or pole 毁 huǐ to destroy; to ruin 缸 gāng large container (jar, vat, or crock) with a narrow base and wide mouth, made of pottery, porcelain, enamel, or glass 诬 wū to falsely accuse; to slander with fabricated facts

工 is an atomic character — it does not decompose further.

Stroke order

2 夫 fū / fu — general term for an adult man
夫 is a component in 7 characters
HSK 4
失 shī to lose; to be deprived of (opposite of 得) 肤 fū skin, the outer surface of the human body 规 guī compass (for drawing circles)
HSK 5
扶 fú to support with one's hand to prevent falling, or to help something fallen stand up again 替 tì to replace; to substitute
HSK 6
夹 jiā to clamp; to press from both sides to hold something in place
HSK 7
撵 niǎn to expel, drive away

consists of

2.1 一 yī — the smallest positive integer; one (①used before a measure word ②used before a noun ③indicates a single action or a brief/tentative action)
一 is a component in 58 characters
HSK 1
下 xià lower position (opposite of 上): ① positioned below (opposite of 上); ② later in order or time; ③ within a certain range, condition, or circumstance 两 liǎng two (used before measure words and 半, 千, 万, 亿) 事 shì matter; affair; everything that happens in nature and society 候 hòu to wait; to await 元 yuán the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), founded by Kublai Khan
Show more HSK 1 characters (+10)
兴 xīng to be popular; to be in vogue 再 zài twice; a second time 前 qián front; the direction one faces (opposite of 后) 天 tiān sky 子 zǐ child (son or daughter in ancient usage); now specifically son 师 shī teacher; instructor (one who imparts knowledge or skills) 本 běn root or stem of a plant 正 zhèng straight; upright (opposite of crooked or tilted) 百 bǎi hundred (the number 100) 贵 guì expensive; of high value (opposite of 贱)
HSK 2
夫 fū general term for an adult man 画 huà to draw or paint (with a brush or similar tool)
HSK 3
其 qí pronoun: ① he, they ② his, their ③ that, those 合 hé to close; to shut; to bring together (opposite of 开) 夏 xià summer (the second of the four seasons) 带 dài ribbon, strip, or belt-shaped object 应 yìng to reply; to answer
Show more HSK 3 characters (+7)
或 huò perhaps; maybe 更 gēng to change; to replace; to substitute 末 mò tip or end of an object 求 qiú to beg, to implore 演 yǎn to evolve; to change gradually 直 zhí straight; not curved (opposite of 曲) 行 xíng to walk; to go
HSK 4
亚 yà inferior (mostly used in negative constructions) 亲 qīn related by blood or marriage; esp. parents 具 jù tool; utensil; implement 咸 xián (lit.) all; everyone (classical adverb) 断 duàn to break into two or more pieces (of something long)
HSK 5
善 shàn kind; benevolent; charitable (opposite of 恶) 威 wēi authority or power that commands awe and respect 旦 dàn dawn; early morning 未 wèi not yet (opposite of 已) 武 wǔ military; martial (opposite of civil/literary "文")
HSK 6
兼 jiān doubled; combining two portions into one 德 dé morality; ethical standards and norms of conduct 拜 bài to bow or salute as a show of respect 灭 miè go out; stop burning or shining (opposite of 着) 衰 shuāi to decline, to weaken
HSK 7
丘 qiū small hill; mound 丙 bǐng third of the ten Heavenly Stems; used to indicate third in order 丛 cóng to cluster together, to gather in a mass 兹 zī (lit., class.) demonstrative pronoun: this; this one 兽 shòu beast; mammal (generally referring to four-legged, fur-covered mammals)
Show more HSK 7 characters (+9)
拯 zhěng to rescue, to save 朱 zhū vermilion, bright red 胚 pēi embryo; organism in early development, formed from fertilized or unfertilized egg 蒙 méng ignorant, lacking knowledge 贮 zhù to store; to stockpile 逆 nì to go in the opposite direction (opposite of 顺) 遣 qiǎn to dispatch; to send 陋 lòu ugly; unsightly 隆 lóng grand; magnificent
2.2 大 dà — large; great (in volume, area, quantity, force, intensity, etc.; opposite of 小)
Xpinyin
大 is a component in 34 characters
HSK 1
天 tiān sky 太 tài high; great
HSK 2
因 yīn cause; reason (opposite of 果) 夫 fū general term for an adult man 头 tóu head (of a person or animal)
HSK 3
参 cān to join; to participate (in an activity) 奇 qí rare; special; extraordinary
HSK 4
奋 fèn to rouse oneself; to strive vigorously 奖 jiǎng to reward; to praise 套 tào cover; sheath; case (placed over something) 庆 qìng to congratulate; to celebrate 美 měi beautiful; good-looking (opposite of "丑")
Show more HSK 4 characters (+1)
达 dá to go through; to reach
HSK 5
奈 nài how; in what way; what to do about 类 lèi kind; category; a group of similar things 衡 héng steelyard beam; weighing instrument such as a scale or balance
HSK 6
央 yāng to entreat; to beg 夸 kuā to boast; to exaggerate 夺 duó to seize by force; to snatch 奔 bēn to run; to rush 尖 jiān tip or pointed end of an object
Show more HSK 6 characters (+1)
牵 qiān to lead or pull along
HSK 7
夯 hāng a rammer or tamper used to compact foundations (wooden, stone, or iron) 夷 yí flat; peaceful 契 qì (lit.) to carve with a knife 奚 xī slave (in ancient times) 奠 diàn to offer sacrifices to the deceased as a tribute
Show more HSK 7 characters (+7)
奢 shē extravagant; lavish (opposite of 俭) 奥 ào southwest corner of a house in ancient times; inner recess of a room 攀 pān to climb by gripping something 爽 shuǎng bright and clear 犬 quǎn dog 莫 mò (lit.) no one; nothing 驮 tuó to carry on the back (of an animal)

Stroke order