勇气 (yǒng qì) — courage, valor | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

勇气 is general 'courage' — the resolve to face difficulty or danger. 胆量 is more about natural boldness or nerve, while 魄力 emphasizes decisiveness and initiative in action.

noun

couragevalor

Examples

勇气。
Tā ná chū le yǒng qì qù miàn duì tiǎo zhàn.
He mustered up the courage to face the challenge.
勇气。
Méi yǒu yǒng qì jiù wú fǎ chéng gōng.
Without courage, you cannot succeed.
勇气。
Tā de yǒng qì gǎn rǎn le suǒ yǒu rén.
Her courage inspired everyone.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

气qìspirit

勇 gives the sense of bravery, while 气 names the inner spirit or temperament, together meaning courage.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

甬力勇

Meaning part形符xíngfú

力力lìstrong

Sound part声符shēngfú

甬

甬yǒng勇yǒng

Same sound today

勇 pairs 甬, which gives the sound, with 力, a strength part, to mean brave and strong.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

气米氣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

气

气qì氣qì

Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Appears in

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