干 gàn do
do; work
gàn (to work) and gān (dry) - 干活 gànhuó, 干净 gānjìng
How it came to be
A pole with a fork at the head, held out in front: a shield, and the weapon a shield doubles as. Two other characters were folded into this shape later; the modern meanings are theirs.
How it is used
- gàn = to do, to work - 干活 (gànhuó) do manual work, 能干 (nénggàn) capable, 干什么 (gàn shénme) what are you up to.
- gān = dry - 干净 (gānjìng) clean, 干燥 (gānzào) dry, 饼干 (bǐnggān) biscuit.
- gàn 干 is the blunt, colloquial 'do/get done' - 你在干嘛 (nǐ zài gàn má) what're you doing; punchier than 做 (zuò).
- gàn can be coarse (a curse) in some contexts, so mind tone and setting.
- 干杯 (gānbēi) 'dry the cup' = cheers, uses the gān 'dry' reading.
Characters built with 干
Words with 干
- 干净gānjìngcleanHSK 3
- 干杯gān bēito drink a toastHSK 4
- 饼干bǐnggānbiscuitHSK 4
- 干活儿gànhuórto work; to do manual labour (spoken, erhua)HSK 4
- 能干nénggàncapableHSK 5
- 干扰gānrǎoto disturbHSK 6
- 干旱gānhàndroughtHSK 6
- 干燥gānzàodryHSK 6
- 干脆gāncuìcandidHSK 6
- 一干二净yìgān-èrjìngthoroughly (idiom)HSK 7
- 干事gànshiadministratorHSK 7
- 干部gànbùcadreHSK 7
- 干预gānyùto meddleHSK 7
- 才干cáigànabilityHSK 7
- 树干shùgàntree trunkHSK 7
- 埋头苦干máitóu-kǔgànto bury oneself in work (idiom)HSK 8
- 干劲gànjìnenthusiasm for doing somethingHSK 8
- 干戈gāngēweapons of warHSK 8
- 干枯gānkūwitheredHSK 8
- 干涉gānshèto interfereHSK 8
- 烘干hōnggānto dry over a stoveHSK 9
- 若干ruògāna certain number or amountHSK 9
- 骨干gǔgàndiaphysis (long segment of a bone)HSK 9
Example sentences
- 头发干了。 Tóufa gān le.Her hair is dry now.
- 你在干什么？ Nǐ zài gàn shénme?What are you doing?
- 你难道是吃干饭的？难道就这样算了不成？ Nǐ nándào shì chīgānfàn de? Nándào jiù zhèyàng suàn le bù chéng？Are you that incapable? How can we let it go at that?
- 来，干杯！ Lái, gānbēi!Cheers!