生产

• Pinyin: shēng chǎn
• Hanzi breakdown: 生 = a plant sprouting from the ground, meaning to produce; 产 = simplified from 產, meaning to give birth or produce

Meaning

To produce; to manufacture; production. The process of making goods or products.

Used in two main senses: (1) manufacturing and production of goods (生产汽车 = produce cars, 生产线 = production line), and (2) giving birth (她快要生产了 = she is about to give birth). The manufacturing sense is far more common in everyday conversation. Common collocations: 生产力 (productivity), 生产成本 (production cost).

Examples

1. 这家工厂每天生产一千台手机。 This factory produces a thousand phones every day.
2. 中国是世界上最大的茶叶生产国。 China is the world's largest tea-producing country.
3. 新技术大大提高了生产效率。 New technology has greatly improved production efficiency.

Usage Guide

Context: manufacturing, economics, industry

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这个产品是在本地生产的。(This product is produced locally.)
• 工厂正在加大生产力度。(The factory is ramping up production.)

Don't Say

• 我生产了一篇文章。(Don't use 生产 for creative works like articles — use 写了. 生产 is for physical goods or industrial output.)

Origin & History

生 means to give birth or to produce; 产 means to give birth or to produce wealth. Together: to bring into existence — to produce or manufacture.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal