From Round to Square (and back)

For The Emperor's Teacher, scroll down (↓) to "Topics." It's the management book that will rock the world (and break the vase, as you will see). Click or paste the following link for a recent profile of the project: http://magazine.beloit.edu/?story_id=240813&issue_id=240610

A new post appears every day at 12:05* (CDT). There's more, though. Take a look at the right-hand side of the page for over four years of material (2,000 posts and growing) from Seinfeld and country music to every single day of the Chinese lunar calendar...translated. Look here ↓ and explore a little. It will take you all the way down the page...from round to square (and back again).
*Occasionally I will leave a long post up for thirty-six hours, and post a shorter entry at noon the next day.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Kanji Mastery—Radical 48 (Work)

Click here for the Kanji Mastery Resource Center (all posts available) 
Click here for an introduction to the Round and Square series "Kanji Mastery."
[a] Re: Constructed RF
"Work" is one of the most straightforward and, indeed, workmanlike characters among the 214 radicals of the Chinese language. Consisting of three straight strokes (horizontal top, vertical middle, and horizontal bottom), even the most imaginative brush-wielding calligrapher would struggle to make it highly distinctive. As you can see from the combinations, though, it is a versatile and, well, hardworking character.

Let's take a look at the etymology of the character, followed by a few combinations. By all means, check out the following sites for useful information on the character:


[b] Fishwork RF
Chineseeytymology.org
 
工
Radical 48
Chinese (Mandarin): gong1  (Cantonese):gung1
Japanese (on): く,こう ku, kou  (kun): たくみ, たくむ takumi, taku(mu)
Korean:

Selections from The New Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary.
工 Radical 48
E (the katakana). At left: takumi hen. (left-side "carpenter's square").
Nickname: Kana E.

KU, KOU artisan, mechanic; manufacture, work.
takumi artisan, mechanic, carpenter
taku(mu) plan; scheme


工人　　こうじん　　koujin  　             workman, craftsman    (work + person)
工兵　　こうへい　　kouhei       　       army engineers           (work + army)
工具　　こうぐ　　　kougu                  tool, implement            (work + implement)
工事　　こうじ　　　kouji                    construction                 (work + affair)
工房　　こうぼう　　koubou　            (artisan's) studio          (work + building)
工学  　  こうがく　   kougaku          　engineering                  (work + study)
工員　　こういん　　kouin　                factory worker; artisan (work + employee)
工業　　こうぎょう　kougyou　           industry                        (work + industry)
工費　　こうひ　       kouhi                   construction costs        (work + fees)
工銀　　こうぎん       kougin                 wages, pay                   (work + money)
[c] Natureculture RF

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