Meaning of 出动
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to start out on a trip
- to dispatch troops
How to use 出动
出动 is used when people, vehicles, or forces are sent out to do a job, often police, firefighters, soldiers, or rescue teams. It sounds a bit formal and often appears in news reports. Example: 警察马上出动了。(Jǐngchá mǎshàng chūdòng le.) The police set out right away.
出 (chū) means to go out and 动 (dòng) means to move. Put them together and you get a group moving out into action, like a team rolling out of the station.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes use 出动 for an ordinary personal trip, like going out shopping. For that, use 出去 (chūqù) or 出门 (chūmén), and save 出动 for organized groups heading out on a mission.
出动 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
出 chū · to go out · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
动 dòng · to move · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 出动.
| 出来 | chūlái | to come out; to appear |
| 出去 | chūqù | to go out |
| 动作 | dòngzuò | movement; motion; action; to act; to move |
| 出现 | chūxiàn | to appear; to arise; to emerge; to show up |
| 行动 | xíngdòng | operation; action |
| 动物 | dòngwù | animal |
| 出发 | chūfā | to set off; to start (on a journey); (fig.) to proceed from (a particular standpoint or ba |
| 出生 | chūshēng | to be born |
| 活动 | huódòng | to exercise; to move about; to work out; shaky; unsteady; loose (tooth etc) |
| 提出 | tíchū | to raise (an issue); to propose |
| 运动 | yùndòng | to move; to exercise |
| 找出 | zhǎochū | to find; to search out |
Questions about 出动
What does 出动 mean?
出动 (chūdòng) means "to start out on a trip; to dispatch troops" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 出动?
出动 is made of 2 characters: 出 (5 strokes), 动 (6 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 出动 an HSK word?
Yes. 出动 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 出动 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 出动 is written 出動.
Can 出动 take an object?
Yes. You can say 出动 plus what is sent out, as in 出动了三辆消防车 (chūdòngle sān liàng xiāofángchē), three fire engines were dispatched. It can also stand alone with the group as the subject, as in 部队出动了 (bùduì chūdòng le).
What is the difference between 出动 and 行动?
出动 focuses on the moment of setting out or sending people out. 行动 (xíngdòng) refers to the action or operation itself and can also be a noun, as in 救援行动 (jiùyuán xíngdòng), a rescue operation.