工夫

See also: 功夫

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
(Standard)
(Pinyin): gōngfu, gōngfū

(Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄥ ˙ㄈㄨ, ㄍㄨㄥㄈㄨ

(Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): гунфу (gunfu, I-I)
Cantonese (Jyutping): gung¹ fu¹
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): kûng-fû

(Hailu, HRS): gung^ˋ fu^ˋ
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): kang-hu

(Teochew, Peng'im): gang¹ hu¹
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹kon-fu

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:
    ^edit
    ^edit
    功夫
    工夫
- (Standard Chinese, variant in Taiwan)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: gōngfū
  - Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄥㄈㄨ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: gongfu
  - Wade–Giles: kung¹-fu¹
  - Yale: gūng-fū
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gongfu
  - Palladius: гунфу (gunfu)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʊŋ⁵⁵ fu⁵⁵/
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: гунфу (gunfu, I-I)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kuŋ²⁴ fou²⁴/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
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/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: gung^ˋ fu^ˋ
  - Sinological IPA: /kuŋ⁵³ fu⁵³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kang-hu
  - Tâi-lô: kang-hu
  - Phofsit Daibuun: kanghw
  - Sinological IPA (Xiamen): /kaŋ⁴⁴⁻²² hu⁴⁴/
  - Sinological IPA (Quanzhou): /kaŋ³³ hu³³/
  - Sinological IPA (Zhangzhou): /kaŋ⁴⁴⁻²² hu⁴⁴/
  - Sinological IPA (Taipei): /kaŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ hu⁴⁴/
  - Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /kaŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ hu⁴⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: gang¹ hu¹
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kang hu
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaŋ³³⁻²³ hu³³/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ¹kon-fu
  - MiniDict: kon^平 fu
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹kon-fu
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /koŋ⁵⁵ fu²¹/

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/
Bernhard Karlgren	/kuŋ/	/pi̯u/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	gōng	fū
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gung¹	fu¹

Noun

工夫

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
skills attained after taking the time and effort; skilfulness; expertise; workmanship
work; labour; job; task
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.”
(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.
alternative form of 功夫 (gōngfu, “martial arts; kung fu”)

Synonyms

(time and effort): 功夫 (gōngfu)

Adjective

工夫

(Southern Min) skilful; delicate; refined
(Taiwanese Hokkien, Taiwanese Hakka) thoughtful; thorough
(Taiwanese Hokkien) too polite; too courteous

Derived terms

一盞茶工夫 / 一盏茶工夫
下工夫 (xià gōngfu)
不多一會兒工夫 / 不多一会儿工夫
不多工夫
做工夫
半刻工夫
半頓飯工夫 / 半顿饭工夫
只要工夫深，鐵杵磨成針 / 只要工夫深，铁杵磨成针
均工夫
工夫不負有心人 / 工夫不负有心人
工夫茶 (gōngfuchá)
得工夫
抓工夫
拼得工夫深，鐵杵磨成針 / 拼得工夫深，铁杵磨成针
有工夫
枉費工夫 / 枉费工夫
死工夫
水磨工夫
沒一頓飯的工夫 / 没一顿饭的工夫
沒工夫 / 没工夫
沒得工夫 / 没得工夫
用工夫
破工夫
磨工夫
表面工夫
費工夫 / 费工夫 (fèi gōngfu)
賣工夫 / 卖工夫
賣零工夫 / 卖零工夫
踏破芒鞋沒覓處，得來全不費工夫 / 踏破芒鞋没觅处，得来全不费工夫
踏破草鞋無覓處，得來全不費工夫 / 踏破草鞋无觅处，得来全不费工夫
踏破鐵鞋無覓處，得來全不費工夫 / 踏破铁鞋无觅处，得来全不费工夫 (tàpò tiěxié wú mìchù, délái quán bù fèi gōngfu)
踏破鐵鞋無覓處，算來全不費工夫 / 踏破铁鞋无觅处，算来全不费工夫
閒工夫 / 闲工夫 (xiángōngfu)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (工夫):

→ Japanese: 工夫(くふう) (kufū, “device, scheme”); 工夫(こうふ) (kōfu, “labourer”)
→ Korean: 공부(工夫) (gongbu, “study”)
→ Jeju: 공븨 (gongbui, “study”) ; 공비 (gongbi, “study”); 공부 (gongbu, “study”)

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): ㄍㄨㄥㄈㄨ
Cantonese (Jyutping): gung¹ fu¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: gōngfū
  - Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄥㄈㄨ
  - 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/
Bernhard Karlgren	/kuŋ/	/pi̯u/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	gōng	fū
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gung¹	fu¹

Noun

工夫

(literary) temporary worker; casual labourer

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
工	夫
く Grade: 2	ふう Grade: 4
goon	kan'yōon

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) くふう [kùfúú] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
IPA^(key): [kɯ̟ɸɯ̟ː]

Noun

工(く)夫(ふう) • (kufū)

device; scheme; devising; scheming
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))

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
kan'on

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) こーふ [kóꜜòfù] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1]
IPA^(key): [ko̞ːɸɯ̟]

Noun

工(こう)夫(ふ) • (kōfu)

labourer; blue-collar worker

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

“工夫”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026

Korean

Hanja in this term
工	夫

Noun

工夫 • (gongbu) (hangeul 공부)

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

[DJR-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[1]