行 xíng — a row; profession; professional; all right; capable; competent
步行去学校只要十分钟。Bù xíng qù xué xiào zhǐ yào shí fēn zhōng.It takes only ten minutes to walk to school.
Common words: 进行 (jìn xíng)、行动 (xíng dòng)、行为 (xíng wéi)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "profession"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "profession", including 行 (xíng), 工 (gōng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "profession" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 行 (xíng), 工 (gōng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xíng, gōng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 行 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 行 xínga row; profession; professional; all right; capable; competentUseful words: 进行, 行动
- 工 gōngwork; worker; skill; profession; trade; craftUseful words: 工作, 工人
Common words for these 2 "profession" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 行 (xíng) — so "profession" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
进行jìn xíng(of a process etc) to proceed; to be in progress; to be underway; (of people) to carry out行动xíng dòngoperation; action; to move about; mobile行为xíng wéiaction; conduct; behavior; activity工作gōng zuòto work; (of a machine) to operate; job; work工人gōng rénworker打工dǎ gōngto work a temporary or casual job; (of students) to have a job outside of class time, or during vacation
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "profession".
工 gōng — work; worker; skill; profession; trade; craft
爸爸的工作很忙。Bà ba de gōng zuò hěn máng.Dad's job is very busy.
Common words: 工作 (gōng zuò)、工人 (gōng rén)、打工 (dǎ gōng)
All 2 characters
Open 行、工 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.