ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

to move

dòng
6 strokes · 云 (cloud, sound) + 力 (strength radical) · HSK 2

Where 动 comes from

Traditional 動 put strength 力 behind 重 'heavy' — moving is applying force to what resists. Simplified 动 swapped in 云 cloud for sound: now it's strength moving clouds, which is somehow better.

动 in Chinese culture

运动 sports and exercise, 动物 animals ('moving things' — the zoo is 动物园), 感动 to be moved emotionally, 动手 to get hands moving (to start — or to start a fight). 别动! 'don't move!' is what every parent, photographer, and police drama says.

Example

运动 yùndòng — sports; exercise

我每天都运动。
Wǒ měitiān dōu yùndòng.
I exercise every day.

How to remember it

Strength 力 enough to move clouds 云 — MOVE.

动车 'moving car' is the D-class bullet train — in a country with 40,000 km of high-speed rail, 动 is the first character on most tickets.

Same sound, different tones

1st dōng
east
3rd dǒng
to understand
4th dòng
to move

Words unlocked by 动

运动 yùndòng
sports; exercise
动物 dòngwù
animal
别动 bié dòng
don't move!

Related characters

LEARN 动 WITH STROKE-BY-STROKE WRITING → DOWNLOAD ZHIZHI
One character a morning · 371-character HSK library · iOS