gōngjī: 攻击 - Attack, Assault, Strike

• Keywords: gōngjī, 攻击, attack in Chinese, Chinese for assault, strike, criticize, personal attack in Chinese, cyberattack Chinese, what does gongji mean, HSK 5
• Summary: Learn the powerful Chinese word 攻击 (gōngjī), which means “attack” or “assault.” This versatile term is essential for discussing everything from military strategy and sports offense to heated debates and modern cyberattacks. This guide breaks down its characters, cultural significance, and practical use with over 10 example sentences, helping you understand how to use this critical HSK 5 vocabulary word correctly.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): gōngjī
• Part of Speech: Verb / Noun
• HSK Level: 5
• Concise Definition: To attack, assault, or strike, either physically, verbally, or digitally.
• In a Nutshell: 攻击 (gōngjī) is the go-to word for any kind of “attack.” Think of it as a focused, intentional, and often aggressive action. While it can mean a physical fight, it's just as commonly used for a harsh criticism, a virus attacking a computer, or even an illness attacking the body. The feeling is direct, forceful, and almost always negative.

• 攻 (gōng): This character means “to attack” or “to assault.” It's composed of 工 (gōng), meaning “work” or “labor” (acting as a phonetic component), and 攵 (pū), a radical that often signifies an action done with force or a hand. You can think of it as “applying forceful work” towards an objective, hence, an attack.
• 击 (jī): This character means “to strike,” “to hit,” or “to beat.” The ancient form depicted a hand striking something. It directly conveys the action of hitting.
• When combined, 攻击 (gōngjī) literally means “attack-strike,” forming a powerful and unambiguous term for a direct assault.

The concept of “attack” is universal, but 攻击 (gōngjī) holds specific weight in different areas of Chinese culture. Historically, military strategy is a cornerstone of Chinese history and literature, with Sun Tzu's “The Art of War” (《孙子兵法》) extensively analyzing the concepts of 攻击 (gōngjī) and defense. In modern society, its significance shines in the concept of 人身攻击 (rénshēn gōngjī), or “personal attack.” In a culture that often prioritizes social harmony and “face” (面子, miànzi), launching a personal attack during a debate is seen as a particularly low blow. It shifts the focus from the issue to the individual, causing a serious loss of face and often ending productive conversation. This is a more severe social foul than a simple “ad hominem” might be in some Western contexts. A person accused of a 人身攻击 is seen as having poor character and lacking civility.

The use of 攻击 has expanded far beyond the battlefield. Its meaning is highly dependent on the context.

This is the most literal meaning. It's used in news reports, historical discussions, and descriptions of altercations. It's also the standard term for “offense” in sports.

• Examples: `军事攻击` (jūnshì gōngjī - military attack), `恐怖攻击` (kǒngbù gōngjī - terrorist attack)

This is an extremely common usage in media, politics, and daily arguments. It refers to harsh criticism or verbal assaults.

• Examples: `人身攻击` (rénshēn gōngjī - personal attack), `攻击政府政策` (gōngjī zhèngfǔ zhèngcè - to attack government policy)

With the rise of the internet, 攻击 has become the standard term for all forms of cyberattacks.

• Examples: `网络攻击` (wǎngluò gōngjī - cyberattack), `黑客攻击` (hēikè gōngjī - hacker attack), `病毒攻击` (bìngdú gōngjī - virus attack)

The term is used metaphorically to describe how diseases affect the body.

• Examples: `病毒会攻击免疫系统` (bìngdú huì gōngjī miǎnyì xìtǒng - The virus will attack the immune system.)

• Example 1:
  • 军队向敌人发起了猛烈的攻击。
  • Pinyin: Jūnduì xiàng dírén fāqǐ le měngliè de gōngjī.
  • English: The army launched a fierce attack on the enemy.
  • Analysis: This is the classic military use of 攻击 as a noun. `发起攻击` (fāqǐ gōngjī) is a common collocation for “to launch an attack.”
• Example 2:
  • 辩论的时候，请不要进行人身攻击。
  • Pinyin: Biànlùn de shíhou, qǐng búyào jìnxíng rénshēn gōngjī.
  • English: When debating, please do not engage in personal attacks.
  • Analysis: This highlights the important cultural concept of `人身攻击` (rénshēn gōngjī). `进行` (jìnxíng) means “to carry out” and is often used with formal, two-character verbs like 攻击.
• Example 3:
  • 我们的网站昨天遭到了黑客攻击。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen de wǎngzhàn zuótiān zāodào le hēikè gōngjī.
  • English: Our website was subjected to a hacker attack yesterday.
  • Analysis: A perfect example of modern, digital usage. `遭到…攻击` (zāodào…gōngjī) is a common passive structure meaning “to suffer an attack from…”.
• Example 4:
  • 这种新病毒会攻击人体的免疫系统。
  • Pinyin: Zhè zhǒng xīn bìngdú huì gōngjī réntǐ de miǎnyì xìtǒng.
  • English: This new virus will attack the human body's immune system.
  • Analysis: Here, 攻击 is used in a medical context. It shows the versatility of the word to describe an assault by a non-human agent.
• Example 5:
  • 他在文章里攻击了现行的教育制度。
  • Pinyin: Tā zài wénzhāng lǐ gōngjī le xiànxíng de jiàoyù zhìdù.
  • English: He attacked the current education system in his article.
  • Analysis: This is an ideological or critical attack. 攻击 is used as a verb to mean “to criticize harshly.”
• Example 6:
  • 作为一名前锋，他的任务就是攻击。
  • Pinyin: Zuòwéi yī míng qiánfēng, tā de rènwù jiùshì gōngjī.
  • English: As a forward (in sports), his job is to attack.
  • Analysis: This shows 攻击 used in a sports context to mean “offense” or “attacking.”
• Example 7:
  • 那只熊感觉受到了威胁，所以攻击了露营者。
  • Pinyin: Nà zhī xióng gǎnjué shòudào le wēixié, suǒyǐ gōngjī le lùyíngzhě.
  • English: The bear felt threatened, so it attacked the campers.
  • Analysis: A straightforward example of an animal attack.
• Example 8:
  • 他的言论受到了媒体的攻击。
  • Pinyin: Tā de yánlùn shòudào le méitǐ de gōngjī.
  • English: His remarks came under attack from the media.
  • Analysis: Another passive example using `受到` (shòudào). This implies he was the recipient of a verbal assault from the media.
• Example 9:
  • 最好的防御就是攻击。
  • Pinyin: Zuì hǎo de fángyù jiùshì gōngjī.
  • English: The best defense is a good offense (literally: “The best defense is to attack”).
  • Analysis: A common saying that contrasts 攻击 with its antonym, `防御` (fángyù - defense).
• Example 10:
  • 他因为攻击警察而被捕了。
  • Pinyin: Tā yīnwèi gōngjī jǐngchá ér bèibǔ le.
  • English: He was arrested for assaulting a police officer.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates a serious, criminal use of the word, equivalent to “assault” in a legal context.

• 攻击 (gōngjī) vs. 打 (dǎ):
  • A common mistake for beginners is to use 攻击 for any kind of hitting. 打 (dǎ) is a much broader and more common verb meaning “to hit,” “to strike,” or “to beat.” Two children fighting in a playground are `打架 (dǎjià)`, not `互相攻击 (hùxiāng gōngjī)`, which sounds overly formal and dramatic. You `打电话 (dǎ diànhuà - make a phone call)`, you don't `攻击电话`.
  • Use 攻击 for more serious, organized, or formal “attacks”: military actions, cyberattacks, harsh public criticism, or criminal assault. Use 打 for general, everyday hitting.
• Overuse in Minor Disagreements:
  • Do not use 攻击 to describe a simple disagreement or mild criticism. Saying `他攻击了我的看法 (Tā gōngjīle wǒ de kànfǎ)` for a simple “He disagreed with my opinion” is too strong. You would say `他不同意我的看法 (Tā bù tóngyì wǒ de kànfǎ)`. 攻击 implies hostility and aggression.

• 进攻 (jìngōng) - To attack or assault, often used for military or sports offense. It emphasizes the forward-moving aspect of an attack.
• 袭击 (xíjī) - To launch a surprise attack or a raid. More specific than 攻击, emphasizing the element of surprise.
• 侵略 (qīnlüè) - To invade; aggression. A very strong and formal term used almost exclusively for one country invading another.
• 抨击 (pēngjī) - To attack (verbally); to lash out at. This word is specifically for sharp verbal or written criticism.
• 打击 (dǎjī) - To strike, to hit, to deal a blow to. Can be physical or figurative, like `打击犯罪` (to crack down on crime) or `打击了他的信心` (dealt a blow to his confidence).
• 防御 (fángyù) - To defend; defense. The direct antonym of 攻击.
• 反击 (fǎnjī) - To counter-attack; to fight back. The action you take in response to an 攻击.
• 人身攻击 (rénshēn gōngjī) - Personal attack. An extremely common and important set phrase using 攻击.