Definition
下工夫 is a separable verb (离合词) meaning 'to put in effort, time, and energy' to achieve something. The object 工夫 (time/effort) can be separated from the verb 下 by modifiers, measure words, or durations — for example, 下了一番工夫 ('put in a good deal of effort') or 下了很多工夫 ('put in a lot of effort'). It's used when you work hard or study something diligently.
v.o.
to put in time and effortto devote energy (to a task)
Examples
- ，下工夫。Yào xiǎng xué hǎo zhè mén shǒuyì, nǐ bìxū xià gōng fu.To master this craft, you must put in time and effort.
- ，。Wèile zhè cì kǎoshì, tā xià le bù shǎo gōngfu.He put in quite a lot of effort for this exam.
- ，。Tā zài shèjì shàng xià gōng fu hěn duō, suǒyǐ zuòpǐn hěn chūsè.She put a lot of energy into the design, so her work is outstanding.
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