动 meaning in English

dòng

(of sth) to move; to set in movement

HSK 1verbTraditional 動6 strokes

Meaning of 动

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

dòng

(of sth) to move
to set in movement
to displace
to touch
to make use of
to stir (emotions)
to alter
abbr. for 動詞|动词[dong4 ci2], verb

How to use 动

动 is a basic verb for moving or touching something, and it often appears in negative commands like 别动 (bié dòng, don't move). It also forms many common words such as 动物 (dòngwù, animal), 运动 (yùndòng, to exercise) and 感动 (gǎndòng, to move someone emotionally). Example: 别动我的东西。(Bié dòng wǒ de dōngxi.) Don't touch my things.

动 (dòng) is made of 云 (yún, cloud) on the left and 力 (lì, strength) on the right. Picture using your strength to push a cloud across the sky, and you have the idea of making something move.

Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 刀 (dāo, knife) instead of 力 (lì, strength). The stroke of 力 crosses through the hook, while 刀 does not. Another trap is mixing up 动 (dòng) with 懂 (dǒng, to understand), which sounds similar but has the third tone.

动 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

这zhè件jiàn事shì让ràng我wǒ真zhēn的de很hěn感gǎn动dòng。

I was really moved by this.

知zhī道dào和hé行xíng动dòng是shì两liǎng回huí事shì。

Knowing and doing are two different things.

我wǒ买mǎi了le一yī本běn关guān于yú动dòng物wù的de书shū。

I bought a book about animals.

所suǒ有yǒu的de动dòng物wù都dōu是shì平píng等děng的de。

All animals are equal.

我wǒ们men需xū要yào马mǎ上shàng行xíng动dòng。

We need to do it immediately.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

动 dòng · to move · 6 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 动.

动作	dòngzuò	movement; motion; action; to act; to move
行动	xíngdòng	operation; action
动物	dòngwù	animal
活动	huódòng	to exercise; to move about; to work out; shaky; unsteady; loose (tooth etc)
运动	yùndòng	to move; to exercise
感动	gǎndòng	to move (sb); to touch (sb emotionally)
动物园	dòngwùyuán	zoo
发动	fādòng	to start; to launch
自动	zìdòng	automatic; voluntarily
主动	zhǔdòng	to take the initiative; to do sth of one's own accord
动力	dònglì	motive power; (fig.) motivation; impetus
推动	tuīdòng	to push (e.g. for acceptance of a plan); to promote; to give impetus to

Questions about 动

What does 动 mean?

动 (dòng) means "(of sth) to move; to set in movement" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 动?

动 is made of 1 character: 动 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.

Is 动 an HSK word?

Yes. 动 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 动 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 动 is written 動.

What does 动 mean after another verb, as in 走不动?

After a verb, 动 shows whether an action can move something or keep going. 走不动 (zǒu bu dòng) means too tired to walk any further, and 拿得动 (ná de dòng) means able to lift or carry something.

Can 动 mean to touch emotionally on its own?

In everyday speech you usually say 感动 (gǎndòng) for being moved emotionally, for example 我很感动 (wǒ hěn gǎndòng), I am very touched. 动 alone in that sense appears mainly in set phrases like 动心 (dòngxīn, to be tempted or moved) and 动情 (dòngqíng, to be stirred with feeling).