调动
diào dòng · HSK 5
to mobilize
🚚 调 = adjust/dispatch + 动 = move; dispatch-and-move = mobilize/transfer
调 (diào) means to dispatch or adjust; 动 (dòng) means to move or act. Together they describe officially moving people or resources — transferring staff, mobilizing troops, or maneuvering units into position.
调 — speech radical 讠(言) + 周 zhōu (phonetic)
调 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 讠(言) radical signals 'speech' or 'words,' while 周 supplies the sound. Originally meaning to harmonize or coordinate through words, it later extended to 'tune,' 'adjust,' and 'melody' (read diào), and 'mix evenly' or 'mediate' (read tiáo).
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.