HSK 3.0 Level 2 · Everyday Verbs

动 dòng “to move” in Chinese

Traditional 動

What 动 means

  1. to move
  2. (of sth) to move
  3. to set in movement
  4. to displace
  5. to touch
More meanings from CC-CEDICT
  • to make use of
  • to stir (emotions)

How to say 动

  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale动dòng4th tone, falling

动 in a sentence

  1. 不要动。

    Búyào dòng.

    Don’t move.

    Sentence #461602 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  2. 我感到背上有东西动。

    Wǒ gǎndào bèi shàng yǒu dōngxi dòng.

    I felt something moving on my back.

    Sentence #6089773 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  3. 这张桌子太重了，我搬不动。

    Zhè zhāng zhuōzi tài zhòng le, wǒ bān bu dòng.

    This table is too heavy. I can’t move it.

    Sentence by WillyChina

How 动 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 动 (dòng) with each of its parts in a different colour
动dòngto move
  • 云cloud · yún
  • 力strength · lìMeaning part

Memory aidStrength 力 makes things move. In the full form 動, 重 (zhòng) gave the sound.

How to write 动

动 6 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

动 (dòng) stroke order chart: each stroke of the character in the order you write it
Stroke order chart for 动 (dòng). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 动

Words with 动

运动yùndòng · to exercise动物dòngwù · animal动物园dòngwùyuán · zoo运动员yùndòngyuán · athlete运动会yùndònghuì · sports meet活动huódòng · activity感动gǎndòng · to be moved激动jīdòng · excited动作dòngzuò · movement行动xíngdòng · to act

More words: Everyday Verbs

做饭zuòfàn · to prepare a meal帮bāng · to help打dǎ · to hit打开dǎkāi · to open飞fēi · to fly考kǎo · to take an exam跑pǎo · to run踢tī · to kick

FAQs

动 (dòng) means “to move” or “(of sth) to move”. It is an HSK 3.0 Level 2 word.
Say it dòng: dòng with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 动 is written 動. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type dong with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 动 from the suggestions. Typing dong into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
动 is an HSK 3.0 Level 2 word in the official 2021 syllabus, and it is on our HSK 3.0 Band 2 word list. It is not on the older HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Example sentences written by WillyChina. Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.