動

Traditionally explained as a phono-semantic compound:

力 (력, “strength”) - supplies the meaning (physical effort);

重 (중, “heavy”) - supplies the sound.

This gives the image of “lifting something heavy with force” - “to move.”

Shuowen Jiezi (説文解字) and later scholars debated whether 動 should instead be considered an ideogrammic compound.

Historical forms:

In bronze inscriptions (金文), 動 itself doesn’t appear.

Instead, the character 童 (아이 동) seems to have been used in its place.

童 originally referred to a male servant/slave, suggesting the idea of someone moving busily here and there to run errands.

Some scholars believe the structure evolved like this:

童 → (童 + 力) → simplified into (重 + 力) → 動

Both 童 and 重 likely took their sound from 東 (동녘 동), meaning the “phono-semantic” explanation still holds overall.

It has deep historical roots tied to 童 and the notion of a servant busily in motion, but today it firmly means “movement” and appears in countless compounds like 運動 (운동, “exercise”) and 행동 (行動, “action”).

It also carries the nuance of labor or work, as seen in compounds like 勞動 (노동, “labor, work”).

운동 (運動) — movement; exercise

행동 (行動) — action; behavior

동작 (動作) — motion; gesture

감동 (感動) — emotional movement

변동 (變動) — fluctuation; change

Beyond physical movement, 動 can denote:

- initiation of action

- emotional stirring

- political or social change

- mechanical operation

- deviation from a stable state

Thus, 動 often implies consequence—movement that leads to effects.

Related characters:

静 / 靜 — stillness

行 — to go; to act

運 — to transport; to move along

作 — to do; to make

変 / 變 — change (transformation)

発 / 發 — to initiate

Classical usage:

In Confucian thought, 動 often contrasts with 靜 (stillness), stressing that action must be guided by propriety and principle.

「君子動而世為天下道」

“When the noble person acts, the world takes it as the Way.”

Here, 動 is not mere movement, but morally significant action.

Daoism frequently pairs 動 with 靜, valuing balance:

Zhuangzi

「動靜有常」

“Movement and stillness each have their proper constancy.”

Excessive 動 disrupts harmony; true wisdom lies in knowing when not to move.

In Buddhism, 動 is often associated with restlessness and impermanence:

動念 — the arising of thought

心動 — mental agitation

Stillness of mind is liberation; uncontrolled 動 binds beings to suffering.