Zi:工

工 [gōng] (工​作 gōngzuò) work, job; 工​人 worker; 工​匠 artisan/craftsman; 工​程 engineering; (radical 48, 工​部); (HDZ:) …

One monosyllabic entry in The ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary (namespace Ci):

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The Shuōwén Seal form of 工 gōng ‘(exquisite work with a) geometry/carpentry square/rule’ is said to depict a kind of carpentry square (​规​巨/​矩/​榘=​曲​尺), formed with a central/vertical ink/chalk line (​中​绳: ​符​合​墨​线; ​墨​线​斗​子; ​弹​墨​线) or crosspiece, joining opposite/parallel rules (​平​中​準); formerly wr. ​𢒄 with ​彡 three lines (exquisite pattern) in the middle indicating the ink/chalk line, regular ruling/scale (​𦘔), or lines drawn with the artisan's drawing/measuring tool.
    Note: The SW gloss ​巧​飾/​拭 (DYC) might be emended “​巧​飾​也” → “​巧​也, ​飭​也”, cf. ​飭 chì ‘put in good order’ (DYC); SW associates 工 with ​巫(​𠮎​𢍮​𢍦​𢀣) wū ‘witch/sorceress’, cf. ​巫.
    Note: 工 gōng ‘carpentry square/rule; carpenter/craftsman/worker; work/job/office; fine/exquisite (workmanship/work); skill/technique; time/effort (expended in work); handwork/labor; engineering; industry; etc.’ (HDZ).
    Compare: ​巨(​𢀓​𢀑​㠪) jù ‘geometry/carpentry square/rule’, in which 工 is a component (cf. ​巨/​矩/​榘); ​匠 jiàng ‘wood work, carpentry’, in which ​匚/工 (​匞/​杢).
    Compare: ​左 zuǒ, in which 工 gōng represents the handle of a ​弓 gōng ‘bow’, vs. ​右(​𠮢).
    Compare: ​经/​經 jīng ‘warp (of a loom)’, ​𢀖/​巠(​𤔊) jīng, in which 工 represents the base of the loom.
    Compare: ​攻 gōng ‘attack’; ​功 gōng ‘achievement’; ​贡(​貢) gòng ‘tribute’
    Compare: ​𡨄(​𡫳​𡔂​塞) sāi ‘brick/stop up’, in which ​㠭 ‘bricks in a wall’; ​㠭 zhǎn ‘spread/smooth (mortar/etc.)’, later wr. ​展(​㞡).
    Compare: ​𢏚(​𠃬) chóu ‘(boustrophedon) plowed field’, in which 工/​匚 represents a furrow/trench (cf. ​方).
    “[工] Picture of a [small] carpenter’s square” —Karlgren(AD).
    “[工] Going back to the older forms of the character, it is obvious that many have a heavy lower part that could be interpreted as the stone used to pound the earth; the upper part in that case would be the shaft or handle” —Lindqvist.
    HDZ: 工 : gōng : ​曲​尺 (​矩​尺, cf. ​巨/​矩/​榘); 工​匠, 工​人 (​矿工, ​电工, ​女工); (​古) ​乐​官, ​乐​人 (​掌​管​音​乐​的​官​吏); ​官​吏; (SW: ​巧​飾/​拭) ​精​巧, ​精​致; ​擅​长, ​善​于; ​技​巧, 工​夫 (​武工, ​唱工); ​手工​劳​动; 工​程 (​施工, 工​期); 工​业 (​化工); 工​作​情​况 (​记工); (​量​词); 工​尺​谱​符​号​之​一; ​功; ​公; (​姓)
    HDC: 工​巧 : ​技​艺​高​明; ​巧​艺; ​精​致​美​妙; ​善​于​取​巧; ​巧​匠; ​匠​人, 工​匠
    HDC: ​巧工 : ​技​艺​高​超​的工​匠
    HDC: ​巧​飾 : 工​巧​装​饰; ​诈​伪​粉​饰
    HDC: ​飾​巧 : ​装​饰​奇​丽; ​弄​巧 (​做​出​各​种​巧​妙​的​花​样; ​卖​弄​技​巧)
    HDC: ​曲​尺 : ​木工​用​来​求​直​角​的​尺, ​用​木​或​金​属​制​成, ​像​直​角​三​角​形​的​勾​股​二​边, ​通​常​在​较​长​的​一​边​上​有​刻​度; ​矩​尺
    HDC: ​矩​尺 : (​木工​所​用​的​曲​尺, ​木​尺, ​鲁​般​尺, ​鲁​班​尺)
    HDC: 工​夫 : ​作​事​所​费​的​精​力​和​时​间; ​化​费​时​间​和​精​力​后​所​获​得​的​某​方​面​的​造​诣​本​领; 工​作; ​时​间, ​时​光; (​理​学​家) ​积​功​累​行、​涵​蓄​存​养​心​性; ​役​夫, ​役​徒
►references: Guǎngyùn:029.02; Wieger:82a; Henshall:113; Karlgren:AD469,GSR1172a; Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn:1.410.6; Lindqvist:261; Mathews:3697; Kāngxī Zìdiǎn:325.01; Bǐshùn Guīfàn:002.1.01; Wáng(1993):102; EDOC:1
►Cantonese: gung\
►stroke 工 (... strokes)   
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Unicode: U+5DE5
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