筑

• Pinyin: zhù
• Hanzi breakdown: 筑 = 竹 + 巩 (build with tamping)

Meaning

To build; to construct. To create structures, especially walls, roads, or fortifications.

A literary and formal verb for construction, particularly of large structures like walls, dams, or roads. Often appears in compounds like 建筑 (architecture) and 修筑 (to construct). Has classical overtones.

Examples

1. 工人们正在筑路。 The workers are building a road.
2. 古人修筑长城抵御外敌。 The ancients built the Great Wall to defend against foreign invaders.
3. 蚂蚁筑巢的本领令人惊叹。 The way ants build their nests is astonishing.

Usage Guide

Context: construction, literary, historical

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 政府决定修筑一条连接两城的高速公路。(The government decided to construct a highway connecting the two cities.)
• 燕子在屋檐下筑巢。(Swallows build nests under the eaves.)

Don't Say

• 筑一张桌子 — 筑 is for large structures; use 做 or 制作 for furniture

Origin & History

Pictophonetic: 竹 (bamboo, for tamping tools) + 巩 (to consolidate)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal