运转
yùnzhuǎn · HSK 7
work
⚙️🔄 运 (move/transport) + 转 (turn/rotate) = the machine turns and runs
运 carries the sense of motion or operation, 转 means to turn or rotate. Stacked together they describe gears or systems that keep turning over and operating, hence revolve, run, or operate.
运 — walk radical 辶 + 军 jūn (army)
Originally depicted an army (军) on the move (辶), meaning to transport or move troops. The sense broadened to 'transport, move, revolve' and later acquired the abstract meaning of 'fortune' or 'luck'—what fate moves toward you. The simplified form replaces traditional 運.
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.