人工
rén gōng HSK 6

English Meaning

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📚 Example Sentences

这个湖是人工建造的。
Zhège hú shì réngōng jiànzào de.
This lake is man-made.
人工智能改变了很多行业。
Réngōng zhìnéng gǎibiànle hěnduō hángyè.
Artificial intelligence has changed many industries.
人工降雨缓解了干旱。
Réngōng jiàngyǔ huǎnjiěle gānhàn.
Artificial rainfall alleviated the drought.
这是人工湖。
Zhè shì réngōng hú.
This is an artificial lake.
人工草坪很绿。
Réngōng cǎopíng hěn lǜ.
The artificial lawn is very green.

💡 Memory Tip

Break it down: 人 (rén) means 'person' or 'human,' and 工 (gōng) means 'work' or 'labor.' Think: 'human work' creates something 'artificial.' Associate it with common terms like 'artificial intelligence' (人工智能) to reinforce its meaning.

📝 Usage Notes

It is a neutral, standard term used in both formal and informal contexts, common in written and spoken Chinese. It frequently appears in technical, industrial, and everyday discussions about technology, services, or manufactured items.

📖 Grammar Points

As an adjective, 人工 often directly modifies nouns (e.g., 人工湖 - man-made lake). It can also function as a noun in certain contexts, meaning 'labor' or 'manpower' (e.g., 节省人工 - save labor).

🏯 Cultural Notes

In modern China, 人工 is heavily associated with technological advancement, especially in fields like AI (人工智能), reflecting the country's focus on innovation and automation. It can sometimes carry a nuanced contrast between traditional human effort and modern efficiency.

🔄 Similar Words

Compared to 人造 (rénzào), which also means 'man-made,' 人工 is more general and can describe both physical objects and abstract efforts (like labor). 人造 is typically used for physical, manufactured products (e.g., 人造革 - synthetic leather). 手工 (shǒugōng) means 'handmade,' focusing on manual craft rather than industrial production.

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