工夫

gōng fu

HSK 2.0 Level 6 HSK 3.0 Level 6 Noun Uncommon

Definitions

1. period of time (may be months, or mere seconds)
2. spare time
3. skill
4. labor
5. effort

Word relationships

Register variants

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• 功夫 gōng fu 功夫 gōng fu skill 功夫 is a common variant with overlapping meanings but is the standard for martial arts (kung fu). 工夫 emphasizes time/effort.: skill

Related words

1 item

• 本领 běn lǐng 本领 běn lǐng 本领 means skill or ability, akin to 工夫's skill sense.: 本领 means skill or ability, akin to 工夫's skill sense.

Usage notes

Common mistakes

功夫 (with '功') is the standard for 'kung fu' and achievement; 工夫 is for time and effort. Using the wrong character changes the meaning entirely.

Example Sentences

1 shown

我花了很多 工夫 才学会这个技术。

I spent a lot of time and effort to learn this technique.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 工夫

• 下工夫 下工夫 xià gōng fu: to put in time and energy
• 做工夫 做工夫 zuò gōng fu: to practice (work skills)
• 抓工夫 抓工夫 zhuā gōng fu: to maximize one's time
• 费工夫 费工夫 fèi gōng fu: to spend a great deal of time and effort
• 踏破铁鞋无觅处，得来全不费工夫 踏破铁鞋无觅处，得来全不费工夫 tà pò tiě xié wú mì chù , dé lái quán bù fèi gōng fu: to travel far and wide looking for sth, only to find it easily

Child Words of 工夫

• 夫 夫 fū: man
• 夫 夫 fú: (classical) this, that
• 工 工 gōng: work