tractor; towing vehicle
Refers to a vehicle designed to pull or tow other vehicles or heavy loads, such as a farm tractor or a tow truck.
The farmer plows the field with a tractor.
The broken-down car was towed away by a towing vehicle.
driving force; leading role
Figurative use for a person or thing that pulls a project or group forward, acting as the main engine or leader.
He is active as the driving force of the team.
This new technology will likely become the driving force of the industry.
Standard kanji spelling using 牽 (pull/tow).
Common simplified spelling replacing 牽 with kana けん.
Compound of 牽引 (towing, pulling) + 車 (vehicle). The figurative sense extends the idea of pulling something forward to a person or thing that leads or drives progress.