动工
dònggōng · HSK 7
to start (a building project)
🏗️ 动 (move/action) + 工 (work) = set work in motion
The verb 动 means to move or activate, and 工 means work or construction. Together they literally say activate the work — break ground, get the project started.
动 — force 力 + heavy/重 (simplified from 動)
The traditional form 動 combines 重 (heavy) as the phonetic with 力 (force/strength) as the semantic, suggesting the effort needed to move something heavy. The simplified form 动 replaces 重 with 云, keeping 力 to convey action and motion.