建

• Pinyin: jiàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 建 = 廴 (movement, extended step) + 聿 (writing brush, purposeful action) — to set something in motion with purpose; to construct

Meaning

To build; to construct; to establish. A verb indicating the physical act of constructing a structure or the founding of something.

建 is commonly used as a standalone verb or as a component in compound words such as 建设 (construction), 建立 (establish), 建议 (suggest). On its own it often appears in phrases like 建房子 (build a house), 建学校 (build a school). It carries a sense of purposeful creation and is used for both physical structures and abstract entities.

Examples

1. 村里正在建一所新的小学。 The village is building a new primary school.
2. 他们计划在河边建一座桥。 They plan to build a bridge by the river.
3. 这栋楼是三十年前建的。 This building was built thirty years ago.

Usage Guide

Context: construction, urban planning, everyday, work

Tone: factual

Do Say

• 政府正在这里建新的医院。(The government is building a new hospital here.)
• 他们在山上建了一座寺庙。(They built a temple on the mountain.)

Don't Say

• 我建了一个朋友。(Don't use 建 for forming social relationships — use 交 (交朋友). 建 is for structures or organisations, not personal relationships.)

Origin & History

The character 建 combines 廴 (a radical suggesting movement along a path) and 聿 (a writing brush held in the hand, suggesting purposeful action). The original sense was to set up or establish something deliberately.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal