工

gōng

work

worker; skill; profession; trade; craft; labor

a picture of 工 → a workman's tool

The ancient form shows a tool like a spade or carpenter's square — something held and used by hand. Over time it generalized from the tool itself to the act of using it: work, craft, labor.

一+丄→工

他每天去工厂上班。

tā měi tiān qù gōng chǎng shàng bān。

He goes to the factory to work every day.

这件家具做工很精细。

zhè jiàn jiā jù zuò gōng hěn jīng xì。

The craftsmanship on this piece of furniture is very fine.

Words with 工

工具

gōng jù

tool

工艺

gōng yì

arts and crafts

工坊

gōng fáng

workshop

理工

lǐ gōng

science and engineering as academic subjects

上工

shàng gōng

to go to work

民工

mín gōng

migrant worker (who moved from a rural area of China to a city to find work)

理工大学

lǐ gōng dà xué

also sometimes Institute of Technology

青工

qīng gōng

young worker (esp of the CCP)

工业国

gōng yè guó

industrialized country

工作人员

gōng zuò rén yuán

staff member

工头

gōng tóu

foreman

工业区

gōng yè qū

industrial zone

More characters with 一

丁丌丂丏万七与丈