Chinese word

手工

Pronunciation

Pinyinshǒu gōng

Meaning

  • nouncraft

Example

学校有手工课。xué xiào yǒu shǒu gōng kè

The school has a craft class.

Illustration for 手工 (craft)

More examples

她在课余时间做手工艺品。tā zài kè yú shí jiān zuò shǒu gōng yì pǐn

She makes handicrafts in her spare time.

Core concept

A skilled hands-on activity that produces objects with clear signs of individual making.

Common phrases

  • 手工课shǒu gōng kè

    craft class

  • 手工艺品shǒu gōng yì pǐn

    handicrafts

  • 手工活shǒu gōng huó

    handwork

Similar words

手艺shǒu yì: Practical skill in making objects by hand.
工艺gōng yì: The methods and techniques used in making things.

Definition in Chinese

以手工为主要方式的劳动或爱好，生产出具有手作痕迹的物品。yǐ shǒu gōng wéi zhǔ yào fāng shì de láo dòng huò ài hào shēng chǎn chū jù yǒu shǒu zuò hén jì de wù pǐn

Word origin

The compound 手 (shǒu, "hand") + 工 (gōng, "work") connects the physical hand with skilled work, giving the word its focus on handmade production.

Usage tips

  • In a school setting, 手工课 (shǒugōng kè, "craft class") usually refers to making objects with materials, not to studying industrial production.

Other meanings

  • handmade worknoun
  • handworknoun

Opposites

  • 机械化jī xiè huàmechanizationnoun
  • 工业化gōng yè huàindustrializationnoun

Related words

  • 手工艺shǒu gōng yìhandicraftnoun
  • 手工业shǒu gōng yèhandicraft industrynoun

Word lists with this word