筑

築

zhù

巩 + 竹

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

zhù (verb) to build; to construct

zhù (noun) five-string lute

Etymology

A strong 巩 bamboo ⺮ building; ⺮ also provides the pronunciation

About

The traditional form 築 is a phono-semantic compound. The bamboo radical 竹 (zhú) at the top indicates the character’s association with an ancient bamboo lute, while the lower component 筑 (zhù) serves as the phonetic element and also contributes semantic weight. This lower part contains the wood radical 木 (mù) and the element 巩 (gǒng), which depicts a hand holding a tool, together evoking the act of building. In the modern simplified form, the top bamboo radical is dropped, and the character 筑 is adopted as the standard form for all meanings, both the stringed instrument and the primary sense of constructing or erecting something.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

小鸟在筑巢。

Xiǎo niǎo zài zhù cháo.

The bird is building a nest.

工人筑路很辛苦。

Gōngrén zhù lù hěn xīnkǔ.

Workers building roads are very hardworking.

他们正在筑一道堤坝。

Tāmen zhèngzài zhù yī dào dībà.

They are building a dam.

这座城市建筑很古老。

Zhè zuò chéngshì jiànzhù hěn gǔlǎo.

The architecture of this city is very ancient.

为了防洪，我们筑起了高墙。

Wèile fánghóng, wǒmen zhù qǐle gāo qiáng.

To prevent floods, we built a high wall.

工程师设计并筑成了这座桥。

Gōngchéngshī shèjì bìng zhù chéngle zhè zuò qiáo.

The engineer designed and built this bridge.

在山区筑铁路需要克服很多困难。

Zài shānqū zhù tiělù xūyào kèfú hěnduō kùnnán.

Building railways in mountainous areas requires overcoming many difficulties.

政府计划在沿海地区筑一座新的港口。

Zhèngfǔ jìhuà zài yánhǎi dìqū zhù yī zuò xīn de gǎngkǒu.

The government plans to build a new port in the coastal area.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 巩

Component: 竹

筑