to plow, to cultivate

JLPT N2 10 strokes

Words with this Kanji

Meaning and Usage

The verb (gēng) primarily means "to plow" or "to cultivate" land. It is commonly used in agricultural contexts to describe the physical act of preparing soil for planting crops.

Common Collocations

  • 耕地 (gēngdì): plow the land
  • (gēngzhòng): plow and plant
  • 机械耕地 (jīxiè gēngdì): plowing with machinery

These collocations highlight different aspects of farming, from manual labor to mechanized agriculture.

Usage Notes

is a formal and somewhat literary term often found in written Chinese or formal speech about farming. In casual conversation, people might use phrases like "种地" (zhòng dì, to farm) instead.

Avoid confusing with (zhòng), which means "to plant" or "to sow"; focuses on soil preparation, while focuses on planting seeds or crops.

Summary

Use when talking about the act of plowing or cultivating soil, especially in agricultural or environmental contexts. It conveys a sense of preparing the earth before planting and is often paired with words indicating land or planting activities.

Example Sentences

The farmers are plowing the fields.

Spring is a good season for plowing and planting.

He used machinery to plow the land, improving efficiency.