发动 (fā dòng) — to start in Mandarin
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#1260 most common word · HSK 6 · CEFR C2
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
发动 is pronounced fā dòng. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
tā fā dòng le yī chǎng dà guī mó de xuān chuán huó dòng.
He launched a large-scale publicity campaign.
Hear it, then say it right
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 发动 mean?+
发动 (fā dòng) means "to start" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 发动?+
发动 is pronounced fā dòng. It uses the tone 1 (high flat), then the tone 4 (falling). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 发动 in Mandarin?+
发动 is the #1260 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 发动 fits
Every HSK 6 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.
Words at a similar frequency
Master the tones first
What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
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