HSK 6 · Ideas

动机 dòngjī “motive” in Chinese

Traditional 動機

What 动机 means

  1. motive
  2. motivation

How to say 动机

  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale动dòng4th tone, falling
  • Pitch chart of the first tone: stays high and level, 5 to 5 on the five-level scale机jī1st tone, high and level

动机 in a sentence

  1. 他做这件事的动机是什么？

    Tā zuò zhè jiàn shì de dòngjī shì shénme?

    What was his motive for doing this?

    Sentence by WillyChina

  2. 学习的动机很重要。

    Xuéxí de dòngjī hěn zhòngyào.

    Motivation is very important in learning.

    Sentence by WillyChina

How 动机 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.

The character 机 (jī) with each of its parts in a different colour
机jīmachine; mechanism
  • 木tree · mù
  • 几table · jī

Memory aidA small table 几 made of wood 木: a machine. 几 (jī) also gives the sound.

How to write 动机

动 6 strokes · 机 6 strokes

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

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

Words related to 动机

Words with 动

动dòng · to move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

Words with 机

飞机fēijī · aeroplane机场jīchǎng · airport手机shǒujī · mobile phone机票jīpiào · air ticket司机sījī · driver机会jīhuì · opportunity相机xiàngjī · camera耳机ěrjī · headphones关机guānjī · to turn off (a device)开机kāijī · to switch on (a device)

More words: Ideas & Concepts

等级děngjí · grade地步dìbù · extent定义dìngyì · definition递增dìzēng · to increase steadily动静dòngjing · sound of movement动力dònglì · driving force动态dòngtài · trend对策duìcè · countermeasure

FAQs

动机 (dòngjī) means “motive” or “motivation”. It is an HSK 6 word.
Say it dòngjī: dòng with a 4th tone, then jī with a 1st 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, 动机 is written 動機. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type dongji with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 动机 from the suggestions. Typing dongji into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
动机 is an HSK 6 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

Turn words into conversations

A dictionary gives you the words. A native teacher shows you how to use them. Start with a free 30-minute intro call.

Book a free intro call

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 written by WillyChina. Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.