HSK · Level 51
105 words
Chinese word
功
Pronunciation
Pinyingōng
Meaning
- nounmerit
Example
他在战斗中立了功。tā zài zhàn dòu zhōng lì le gōng
He distinguished himself in battle.
More examples
他在抗灾救援中立下了大功。tā zài kàng zāi jiù yuán zhōng lì xià le dà gōng
He rendered great service in disaster relief and rescue efforts.
Core concept
An earned record of valuable work that others recognize and credit.
Common phrases
立下大功lì xià dà gōng
render great service
建功立业jiàn gōng lì yè
achieve distinction and build a career
有功yǒu gōng
have merit
Similar words
功绩gōng jì: An officially recognized achievement or meritorious deed shown in records or praise.
功劳gōng láo: Valued service or effort that helps a group or undertaking and earns recognition.
贡献gòng xiàn: Concrete help or effort that supports another person or organization in reaching a goal.
成就chéng jiù: An important achievement gained through sustained effort.
Definition in Chinese
指由于付出努力或立下事功而被认可的成绩、功劳或记录。zhǐ yóu yú fù chū nǔ lì huò lì xià shì gōng ér bèi rèn kě de chéng jì gōng láo huò jì lù
Word origin
The character 功 (gōng, "merit") is a phonetic-semantic formation: 工 (gōng, "work") supplies the sound and 力 (lì, "strength") suggests the effort behind an achievement.
Usage tips
- In everyday conversation, this noun is more common in formal praise and fixed combinations than as a casual standalone word, so it often signals an official or historical register.
Other meanings
- meritorious servicenoun
- contributionnoun
- featnoun
Opposites
- 过失guò shīfaultnoun
- 罪过zuì guòoffensenoun
Related words
- 功绩gōng jìachievementnoun
- 功勋gōng xūnmeritorious servicenoun
- 功能gōng néngfunctionnoun