动机 (dòngjī)

动机 refers to the reason, motive, or inner motivation behind a person's action or behavior.

Meanings

[noun] motive, motivation, or the underlying reason for doing something

Example Sentences

他犯罪的动机是什么？ Tā fànzuì de dòngjī shì shénme? What was his motive for committing the crime?

了解学生的学习动机对老师很重要。 Liǎojiě xuéshēng de xuéxí dòngjī duì lǎoshī hěn zhòngyào. Understanding students' motivation to learn is very important for teachers.

他的动机是纯粹的，只是想帮助别人。 Tā de dòngjī shì chúncuì de, zhǐshì xiǎng bāngzhù biérén. His motives were pure; he just wanted to help others.

金钱并不是他努力工作的唯一动机。 Jīnqián bìng bù shì tā nǔlì gōngzuò de wéiyī dòngjī. Money is not the only motivation for his hard work.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
犯罪动机	criminal motive
学习动机	learning motivation
动机不纯	impure motives
了解动机	understand motivation

Usage Notes

动机 can refer to both positive motivation (learning, achieving goals) and negative motivation (criminal intent). In psychological or educational contexts, it is often used in 学习动机 (learning motivation). In legal contexts, 犯罪动机 (criminal motive) is common. The word is neutral and depends on context for its connotation.

Memory Hook

动 means "to move or act" and 机 means "mechanism or trigger," so 动机 is the trigger that moves you to act, your motivation.