工夫

Chinese

Pronunciation 1

		work; worker; skill work; worker; skill; profession; trade; craft; labour	husband; man
simp. and trad. (工夫)		工	夫
alternative forms		功夫

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): gōngfu, gōngfū

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄥ ˙ㄈㄨ, ㄍㄨㄥ ㄈㄨ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gung¹ fu¹
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): kûng-fû
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): kang-hu

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland and Taiwan)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: gōngfu
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄥ ˙ㄈㄨ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: gongfů
    • Wade–Giles: kung¹-fu⁵
    • Yale: gūng-fu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gong.fu
    • Palladius: гунфу (gunfu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʊŋ⁵⁵ fu²/
    • Homophones:

      [Show/Hide]
      edit edit 功夫 工夫

      
      
  • (Standard Chinese, variant in Taiwan)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: gōngfū
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄥ ㄈㄨ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: gongfu
    • Wade–Giles: kung¹-fu¹
    • Yale: gūng-fū
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gongfu
    • Palladius: гунфу (gunfu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʊŋ⁵⁵ fu⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: gung¹ fu¹
    • Yale: gūng fū
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gung¹ fu¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: gung¹ fu¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʊŋ⁵⁵ fuː⁵⁵/
    • Homophones:

      edit edit 功夫 工夫

• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kûng-fû
    • Hakka Romanization System: gung^ˊ fu^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gung¹ fu¹
    • Sinological IPA: /kuŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ fu²⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kang-hu
    • Tâi-lô: kang-hu
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kanghw
    • IPA (Xiamen): /kaŋ⁴⁴⁻²² hu⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kaŋ³³ hu³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /kaŋ⁴⁴⁻²² hu⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /kaŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ hu⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kaŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ hu⁴⁴/

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• Middle Chinese: kuwng pju

Rime
Character	工	夫
Reading #	1/1	2/2
Initial (聲)	見 (28)	幫 (1)
Final (韻)	東 (1)	虞 (24)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Closed
Division (等)	I	III
Fanqie	古紅切	甫無切
Baxter	kuwng	pju
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kuŋ/	/pɨo/
Pan Wuyun	/kuŋ/	/pio/
Shao Rongfen	/kuŋ/	/pio/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kəwŋ/	/puə̆/
Li Rong	/kuŋ/	/pio/
Wang Li	/kuŋ/	/pĭu/
Bernard Karlgren	/kuŋ/	/pi̯u/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	gōng	fū
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gung1	fu1

Noun

(deprecated template usage) 工夫

1. time and effort taken to perform a task; work

   • 我們前幾天的工夫算是白花。 [MSC, trad.]
     我们前几天的工夫算是白花。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: UM-Corpus: A Large English-Chinese Parallel Corpus by NLP2CT

     Wǒmen qiánjǐtiān de gōngfu suànshì báihuā. [Pinyin]

     All the work I've put in on her for the past few days has just been wasted.

   • 在開發者文檔中花上一番工夫去解釋其背後的思想 [MSC, trad.]
     在开发者文档中花上一番工夫去解释其背后的思想 [MSC, simp.]

     From: UM-Corpus: A Large English-Chinese Parallel Corpus by NLP2CT

     zài kāifāzhě wéndàng zhōng huā shàng yīfān gōngfu qù jiěshì qí bèihòu de sīxiǎng [Pinyin]

     take pains in the developer's documentation to explain the thinking behind it

2. skills attained after taking the time and effort; skilfulness; expertise; workmanship
3. work; labour; job; task
4. time (for doing something); free time

   • 既然你沒有工夫，你就不必參加茶會了。 [MSC, trad.]
     既然你没有工夫，你就不必参加茶会了。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: UM-Corpus: A Large English-Chinese Parallel Corpus by NLP2CT

     Jìrán nǐ méiyǒu gōngfu, nǐ jiù bùbì cānjiā cháhuì le. [Pinyin]

     Since you have no time, you need not attend the tea party.

   • 「如今才九月半，還有四五個月的工夫，什麼病治不好呢？」 [MSC, trad.]
     「如今才九月半，还有四五个月的工夫，什么病治不好呢？」 [MSC, simp.]

     From: UM-Corpus: A Large English-Chinese Parallel Corpus by NLP2CT

     “rújīn cái jiǔyuèbàn, háiyǒu sì wǔ ge yuè de gōngfu, shénme bìng zhì bù hǎo ne?” [Pinyin]

     “It's only the middle of the ninth month now. You've got four or five months' time still, quite long enough to recover from any illness.”

5. (colloquial) time (when something happened); moment; period

   • 她到處追逐想象中的老鼠和松鼠，一眨眼的工夫就從桌子上跳到椅子上。 [MSC, trad.]
     她到处追逐想象中的老鼠和松鼠，一眨眼的工夫就从桌子上跳到椅子上。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: UM-Corpus: A Large English-Chinese Parallel Corpus by NLP2CT

     Tā dàochù zhuīzhú xiǎngxiàng zhōng de lǎoshǔ hé sōngshǔ, yīzhǎyǎn de gōngfu jiù cóng zhuōzi shàng tiào dào yǐzi shàng. [Pinyin]

     She raced around, chasing imaginary mice and squirrels, and vaulted from table to chair in the blink of an eye.

   • 他躺著一動不動有半天的工夫，拼命掙脫昏迷的控制。 [MSC, trad.]
     他躺着一动不动有半天的工夫，拼命挣脱昏迷的控制。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: UM-Corpus: A Large English-Chinese Parallel Corpus by NLP2CT

     Tā tǎng zhe yīdòngbùdòng yǒu bàntiān de gōngfu, pīnmìng zhèngtuō hūnmí de kòngzhì. [Pinyin]

     For half a day he lay motionless, trying to fight off unconsciousness.

6. (deprecated template usage) Alternative form of 功夫 (gōngfu, “martial arts; kung fu”).

Synonyms

• (time and effort): 功夫 (gōngfu)

Adjective

(deprecated template usage) 工夫

1. (Southern Min) skilful; delicate; refined
2. (Taiwan Min Nan & Hakka) thoughtful; thorough
3. (Taiwanese Hokkien) too polite; too courteous

Pronunciation 2

		work; worker; skill work; worker; skill; profession; trade; craft; labour	husband; man
simp. and trad. (工夫)		工	夫

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): gōngfū

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄥ ㄈㄨ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gung¹ fu¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: gōngfū
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄥ ㄈㄨ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: gongfu
    • Wade–Giles: kung¹-fu¹
    • Yale: gūng-fū
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gongfu
    • Palladius: гунфу (gunfu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʊŋ⁵⁵ fu⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: gung¹ fu¹
    • Yale: gūng fū
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gung¹ fu¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: gung¹ fu¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʊŋ⁵⁵ fuː⁵⁵/
    • Homophones:

      edit edit 功夫 工夫

---

• Middle Chinese: kuwng pju

Rime
Character	工	夫
Reading #	1/1	2/2
Initial (聲)	見 (28)	幫 (1)
Final (韻)	東 (1)	虞 (24)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Closed
Division (等)	I	III
Fanqie	古紅切	甫無切
Baxter	kuwng	pju
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kuŋ/	/pɨo/
Pan Wuyun	/kuŋ/	/pio/
Shao Rongfen	/kuŋ/	/pio/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kəwŋ/	/puə̆/
Li Rong	/kuŋ/	/pio/
Wang Li	/kuŋ/	/pĭu/
Bernard Karlgren	/kuŋ/	/pi̯u/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	gōng	fū
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gung1	fu1

Noun

(deprecated template usage) 工夫

1. (literary) temporary worker; casual labour

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
工	夫
く Grade: 2	ふう Grade: 4
on'yomi

Noun

工(く)夫(ふう) • (kufū) 

1. device; scheme; devising; scheming
2. dedication to spiritual improvement (especially through Zen meditation)

Verb

工(く)夫(ふう)する • (kufū suru) suru (stem 工(く)夫(ふう)し (kufū shi), past 工(く)夫(ふう)した (kufū shita))

1. devise, come up with, contrive

Conjugation

Conjugation of "工夫する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	工夫し	くふうし	kufū shi
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	工夫し	くふうし	kufū shi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	工夫する	くふうする	kufū suru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	工夫する	くふうする	kufū suru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	工夫すれ	くふうすれ	kufū sure
Meireikei ("imperative")	工夫せよ¹ 工夫しろ²	くふうせよ¹ くふうしろ²	kufū seyo¹ kufū shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	工夫される	くふうされる	kufū sareru
Causative	工夫させる 工夫さす	くふうさせる くふうさす	kufū saseru kufū sasu
Potential	工夫できる	くふうできる	kufū dekiru
Volitional	工夫しよう	くふうしよう	kufū shiyō
Negative	工夫しない	くふうしない	kufū shinai
Negative continuative	工夫せず	くふうせず	kufū sezu
Formal	工夫します	くふうします	kufū shimasu
Perfective	工夫した	くふうした	kufū shita
Conjunctive	工夫して	くふうして	kufū shite
Hypothetical conditional	工夫すれば	くふうすれば	kufū sureba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
工	夫
こう Grade: 2	ふ Grade: 4
on'yomi

Noun

工(こう)夫(ふ) • (kōfu) 

1. labourer; blue-collar worker

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Korean

Hanja in this term
工	夫

Noun

工夫 • (gongbu) (hangeul 공부)

1. hanja form^? of 공부 (“learning, study”)