引擎

• Pinyin: yǐn qíng
• Hanzi breakdown: 引 = 弓 + 丨 (bow + arrow — to draw out, to lead); 擎 = 手 + 敬 variant (hand + reverence — to lift, to hold aloft)

Meaning

Engine; motor. The mechanical or computational power unit that drives a system forward.

Originally a transliteration of 'engine', now used both literally (automobile engines) and figuratively (economic engine, growth engine). Common collocations: 经济引擎 (economic engine), 搜索引擎 (search engine), 引擎盖 (engine hood). Widely used in technology and business contexts to describe the driving force behind growth or innovation.

Examples

1. 这款新型航空引擎采用了突破性的热管理技术，在大幅提升推力的同时将燃油消耗降低了近三分之一，有望成为下一代宽体客机的核心动力系统。 This new type of aircraft engine uses breakthrough thermal-management technology, significantly boosting thrust while cutting fuel consumption by nearly one-third, and it is expected to become the core power system of the next generation of wide-body airliners.
2. 数字经济已成为推动该地区经济发展的核心引擎，近五年间以年均超过百分之十八的增速带动了大量传统产业的转型升级与就业结构的深刻调整。 The digital economy has become the key engine driving the region’s growth; over the past five years, an average annual growth rate of more than 18% has fueled major upgrades in traditional industries and deep changes in the employment structure.
3. 他在发动机检修过程中发现引擎内部有一处细微的金属疲劳裂纹，随即按照安全规程暂停了飞行任务，待彻底修复并通过全项检验后方才恢复运营。 During an engine overhaul, he discovered a tiny metal fatigue crack inside, immediately grounded the aircraft under safety procedures, and resumed operations only after a full repair and comprehensive inspection.

Usage Guide

Context: technology, business, transportation, media

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 新能源汽车的竞争已转向电机引擎的能量密度和热管理系统表现。(Competition in new-energy vehicles has shifted to the energy density of electric motor engines and the performance of thermal management systems.)
• 政策制定者把文化创意产业定位为拉动内需和就业的新引擎，并配套减税和补贴。(Policy-makers have positioned the cultural and creative industries as a new engine for boosting domestic demand and employment, with tax cuts and subsidies to match.)

Don't Say

• 他用引擎努力工作 — 引擎 is a noun referring to a machine or driving force, not a verb or adverb; use 动力 or 驱动力 in abstract motivational contexts where a human subject is described as the driving force

Origin & History

引擎 = transliteration of English 'engine' — 引 (to draw/lead) + 擎 (to lift/hold up); phonetically approximates 'engine' while the characters suggest 'drawing power upward'

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal