进攻

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jìngōng: 进攻 - Attack, Offense, Offensive

Quick Summary

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  • Summary: Learn the powerful Chinese word 进攻 (jìngōng), which means “to attack” or “offense.” This comprehensive guide breaks down its meaning, from military and sports contexts to figurative use in business and debates. Understand the characters 进 (jìn) and 攻 (gōng), see practical examples, and learn the crucial difference between 进攻 (jìngōng) and 攻击 (gōngjī) to use it like a native speaker. This is your essential resource for mastering a key term in competitive and strategic situations.

Core Meaning

  • Pinyin (with tone marks): jìngōng
  • Part of Speech: Verb / Noun
  • HSK Level: HSK 5
  • Concise Definition: To launch an attack or an offensive; the act of attacking or being on the offense.
  • In a Nutshell: 进攻 (jìngōng) is a dynamic and action-oriented word that describes the act of moving forward to engage an opponent. Think of it as “advancing to strike.” While its most literal meaning is in warfare, it's incredibly common in sports to describe a team's “offense” and in business to describe a strategic market push. It always implies a proactive, forward-moving action against an opposing force.

Character Breakdown

  • 进 (jìn): This character means “to enter” or “to advance.” It's a combination of 井 (jǐng), a well, and the “walking” radical (辶). You can imagine it as someone advancing past a landmark (the well). It signifies forward movement.
  • 攻 (gōng): This character means “to attack” or “to assault.” It combines 工 (gōng), meaning “work” or “skill,” with the “strike” or “tap” radical (攵). Together, they represent the act of applying effort or skill (工) to strike (攵) an enemy.
  • When combined, 进攻 (jìngōng) literally means “to advance and attack.” This fusion creates a powerful and unambiguous term for launching an offensive.

Cultural Context and Significance

  • 进攻 (jìngōng) is a direct and forceful term that reflects a proactive, and at times aggressive, mindset necessary in competitive fields. While traditional Chinese philosophy, such as in Sun Tzu's The Art of War (《孙子兵法》), often praises winning through strategy and avoiding direct conflict, 进攻 represents the necessary tool of direct action when strategy alone is not enough.
  • In the West, we have similar concepts like “attack” or “offense.” However, the use of 进攻 in contexts like business or marketing in China feels very normalized and direct. A company launching a new product line might explicitly state they are beginning a “market offensive” (市场进攻 - shìchǎng jìngōng). This reflects a highly competitive modern environment where taking decisive, forward action is seen as a key to success. It's less about hostility and more about a strategic, determined push towards a goal.

Practical Usage in Modern China

  • 进攻 is a versatile word used in various contexts, from formal to informal. Its connotation depends entirely on the situation.

Military and Warfare

  • This is the most literal and serious usage. It refers to a planned military assault or offensive.
  • Formality: Formal
  • Connotation: Neutral (from a strategic perspective) to Negative (from a victim's perspective).

Sports

  • This is an extremely common and neutral usage. It refers to the “offense” or “attack” phase of a game.
  • Formality: Informal to Formal
  • Connotation: Neutral / Positive (if the offense is good).
  • Example: “Our team's offense (进攻) needs to be more aggressive.”

Business and Strategy

  • Used figuratively to describe launching a major initiative, entering a new market, or challenging a competitor.
  • Formality: Formal
  • Connotation: Neutral / Strategic.
  • Example: “We need to launch an offensive in the rural market.”

Debates and Arguments

  • Can be used to describe a verbal “attack” on someone's position or logic.
  • Formality: Informal to Formal
  • Connotation: Negative / Aggressive.
  • Example: “His attack on my argument was very sharp.”

Example Sentences

  • Example 1:
    • 将军下令明天早上开始进攻。
    • Pīnyīn: Jiāngjūn xiàlìng míngtiān zǎoshang kāishǐ jìngōng.
    • English: The general ordered the attack to begin tomorrow morning.
    • Analysis: This is a classic military context. 进攻 is used as a verb here, “to attack.”
  • Example 2:
    • 我们队的进攻很强，但防守比较弱。
    • Pīnyīn: Wǒmen duì de jìngōng hěn qiáng, dàn fángshǒu bǐjiào ruò.
    • English: Our team's offense is very strong, but the defense is relatively weak.
    • Analysis: Here, 进攻 is used as a noun for “offense” in a sports context. This is an extremely common usage.
  • Example 3:
    • 在辩论中，他对我方论点发起了猛烈的进攻。
    • Pīnyīn: Zài biànlùn zhōng, tā duì wǒ fāng lùndiǎn fāqǐle měngliè de jìngōng.
    • English: In the debate, he launched a fierce attack on our argument.
    • Analysis: A figurative use. “发起进攻” (fāqǐ jìngōng) means “to launch an attack.”
  • Example 4:
    • 面对市场饱和，公司决定向海外市场进攻。
    • Pīnyīn: Miànduì shìchǎng bǎohé, gōngsī juédìng xiàng hǎiwài shìchǎng jìngōng.
    • English: Facing a saturated market, the company decided to make an offensive into the overseas market.
    • Analysis: A common business usage. “向…进攻” (xiàng…jìngōng) means “to attack towards…” or “to make an offensive into…”
  • Example 5:
    • 主队在下半场加强了进攻。
    • Pīnyīn: Zhǔduì zài xiàbànchǎng jiāqiángle jìngōng.
    • English: The home team strengthened their attack in the second half.
    • Analysis: Another sports example, showing how 进攻 can be modified by verbs like “加强” (jiāqiáng - to strengthen).
  • Example 6:
    • 这种病毒会进攻人体的免疫系统。
    • Pīnyīn: Zhè zhǒng bìngdú huì jìngōng réntǐ de miǎnyì xìtǒng.
    • English: This type of virus will attack the human body's immune system.
    • Analysis: A medical/biological context where the virus is personified as an attacker.
  • Example 7:
    • 与其被动等待，不如主动进攻。
    • Pīnyīn: Yǔqí bèidòng děngdài, bùrú zhǔdòng jìngōng.
    • English: Rather than passively waiting, it's better to proactively attack.
    • Analysis: A strategic expression contrasting “passive” (被动) with “proactive” (主动).
  • Example 8:
    • 他们的营销进攻非常有创意。
    • Pīnyīn: Tāmen de yíngxiāo jìngōng fēicháng yǒu chuàngyì.
    • English: Their marketing offensive is very creative.
    • Analysis: Here, 进攻 is a noun, part of the compound noun “营销进攻” (yíngxiāo jìngōng - marketing offensive).
  • Example 9:
    • 足球比赛中最重要的是进攻和防守的平衡。
    • Pīnyīn: Zúqiú bǐsài zhōng zuì zhòngyào de shì jìngōng hé fángshǒu de pínghéng.
    • English: The most important thing in a soccer match is the balance between offense and defense.
    • Analysis: This sentence clearly shows the relationship between 进攻 (offense) and its antonym 防守 (fángshǒu - defense).
  • Example 10:
    • 不要把我的批评当成是个人进攻。
    • Pīnyīn: Búyào bǎ wǒ de pīpíng dàngchéng shì gèrén jìngōng.
    • English: Don't take my criticism as a personal attack.
    • Analysis: A figurative use in interpersonal communication. Note that “personal attack” is translated as “个人进攻” (gèrén jìngōng).

Nuances and Common Mistakes

  • 进攻 (jìngōng) vs. 攻击 (gōngjī): This is the most common point of confusion for learners.
    • 攻击 (gōngjī): This is the more general and frequently used word for “attack.” It can refer to a single action (e.g., he attacked me) or a general attack.
    • 进攻 (jìngōng): This implies a more sustained, planned, and forward-moving action. It's an *offensive* or a *charge*. You launch an 进攻, which may be composed of many small 攻击.
    • Analogy: In a video game, pressing the 'A' button for a single sword swing is a 攻击 (gōngjī). Deciding to charge into the enemy's base with your whole team is an 进攻 (jìngōng).
  • False Friend Alert: “Offensive”
    • In English, the word “offensive” can mean “insulting” or “disgusting” (e.g., “That joke was offensive”).
    • 进攻 (jìngōng) NEVER has this meaning. It strictly refers to the act of attacking. To express the idea of “insulting” or “rude,” you would use words like 冒犯 (màofàn) or 无礼 (wúlǐ).
    • Incorrect: ~~这个笑话很进攻 (Zhège xiàohuà hěn jìngōng.)~~ → This is wrong.
    • Correct: 这个笑话很冒犯 (Zhège xiàohuà hěn màofàn.) - This joke is very offensive.

Related Terms and Concepts

  • 攻击 (gōngjī) - The most general word for “attack.” 进攻 is a specific type of 攻击.
  • 防守 (fángshǒu) - The direct antonym of 进攻. It means “to defend” or “defense.”
  • 反攻 (fǎngōng) - A counter-attack. The “反” (fǎn) means reverse or counter.
  • 侵略 (qīnlüè) - Invasion; aggression. A much stronger and more negative term than 进攻, implying an unjust violation of territory or rights.
  • 袭击 (xíjī) - A surprise attack, a raid, an ambush. Emphasizes the element of surprise.
  • 打击 (dǎjī) - To strike, hit, or crack down on. Often used against abstract things like crime (打击犯罪) or someone's confidence (打击信心).
  • 攻势 (gōngshì) - An offensive (noun). Similar to 进攻 but often refers to the momentum or posture of an attack, e.g., “发动猛烈攻势” (launch a fierce offensive).
  • 进取 (jìnqǔ) - To be enterprising, to forge ahead. Shares the “进” (advance) character, but is used in a positive, self-improvement context. An “enterprising spirit” is “进取心” (jìnqǔxīn).