转动
zhuǎndòng · HSK 4
turn
🔄 转动 = 转 (turn/revolve) + 动 (move) — turning movement
转 means to turn or rotate; 动 means to move or action. Together they describe rotational motion — anything that turns or revolves, like a wheel, knob, or gear in motion.
转 — car radical 车 + 专 (phonetic)
转 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 车 (cart/wheel) gives the meaning, evoking something that turns or rotates like a wheel. The right side 专 supplies the sound. Originally referring to the turning of a cart's wheels, it broadened to mean 'turn,' 'rotate,' or 'shift' in general.
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.