高效

• Pinyin: gāo xiào
• Hanzi breakdown: 高 (high, superior); 效 = 交 + 攴 (exchange + strike — effect, result)

Meaning

Highly efficient; producing maximum output with minimal waste of time, resources, or effort.

Widely used in business, technology, education, and government. 高效运转 means to operate efficiently; 高效管理 means effective management; 高效学习 means productive studying. Often paired with 便捷 or 低成本 to emphasise the value proposition of a system or method.

Examples

1. 这套自动化生产线将工厂的日产能提升了三倍，实现了真正意义上的高效制造。 This automated production line tripled the factory’s daily output, achieving truly efficient manufacturing.
2. 她制定了一套高效的工作流程，使团队在有限时间内完成了原本需要两个月的项目。 She put together an efficient workflow that enabled the team to finish, in limited time, a project that would normally take two months.
3. 政府推行的一站式审批平台大幅简化了行政手续，显著提高了政务服务效率。 The government’s one-stop approval platform greatly streamlined administrative procedures and significantly improved public service efficiency.

Usage Guide

Context: business, technology, management, productivity

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 引入人工智能辅助审图后，该设计院的出图周期缩短了近一半，高效程度令同行刮目相看。(After introducing AI-assisted drawing review, this design institute cut its production cycle by nearly half — a level of efficiency that left peers astonished.)
• 在保证质量的前提下追求高效，才是企业持续竞争力的核心所在。(Pursuing efficiency while guaranteeing quality — that is the core of an enterprise's sustained competitiveness.)

Don't Say

• 这顿饭吃得很高效 — 高效 suits processes and systems; use 快 or 省时 for simply eating a quick meal

Origin & History

高 (high) + 效 (effect/efficiency)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal