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verb HSK 5
chóng jiàn
to rebuild · to reconstruct · to reestablish

Meaning

重建 means to build something again after it has been destroyed, damaged, or lost. It's commonly used for physical structures like buildings and cities, but also for abstract concepts like relationships, trust, or systems that need to be reestablished from the ground up.

Usage

This is a formal-register word frequently used in news reports, official documents, and serious discussions about reconstruction after disasters, wars, or major failures. It emphasizes starting over and restoring something to its former state or better. Common in contexts involving post-disaster recovery, urban development, or restoring damaged relationships.

Examples

  1. 01
    地震后，政府帮助灾民重建家园。
    Dì zhèn hòu, zhèng fǔ bāng zhù zāi mín chóng jiàn jiā yuán.
    After the earthquake, the government helped disaster victims rebuild their homes.
  2. 02
    他们正在努力重建彼此之间的信任。
    Tā men zhèng zài nǔ lì chóng jiàn bǐ cǐ zhī jiān de xìn rèn.
    They are working hard to rebuild trust between each other.

Characters

Common collocations

  • 重建家园
    chóng jiàn jiā yuán
    to rebuild one's home
  • 灾后重建
    zāi hòu chóng jiàn
    post-disaster reconstruction
  • 重建信心
    chóng jiàn xìn xīn
    to rebuild confidence
  • 重建工作
    chóng jiàn gōng zuò
    reconstruction work

Antonyms

Origin

Compound of 重 (again) + 建 (to build). The character 重 here uses its chóng pronunciation meaning 'again/repeat' rather than zhòng meaning 'heavy'.

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