干将 (gànjiàng): a capable person

Meanings

1 a capable person
2 a competent and energetic worker
3 a key figure who gets things done

Characters

干

Examples

他是公司里的得力干将。

Tā shì gōngsī lǐ de délì gànjiàng.

He's a capable key player at the company.

球队里少不了几员干将。

Qiú duì lǐ shǎobùliǎo jǐ yuán gànjiàng.

A team can't do without a few key performers.

Tips

mistakes

Two readings, two words: 干将 gànjiàng = 'capable person' (this entry); 干将 Gānjiāng = the legendary sword forged by smith Gan Jiang in 《吴越春秋》, often paired with 莫邪 Mòyé. Subtitle and news contexts almost always use the gànjiàng 'workhorse' sense.

In Pop Culture

干将莫邪 Gānjiāng Mòyé

Ganjiang and Moye

Legendary pair of swords from the Wu kingdom (5th c. BCE), forged by smith Gan Jiang and his wife Mo Ye — among the most famous swords in Chinese mythology, central to the wuxia genre