TongTong
Sign in

鼓劲 (gǔ jìn) — to encourage; to cheer on; to rouse someone's enthusiasm

Definition

A separable verb meaning to encourage or cheer someone on. The split form (鼓…劲) is common: 给/为/替 someone 鼓劲; a stronger boost can be 鼓足劲 (muster all one's energy).

verb
to encourageto cheer onto rouse someone's enthusiasm

Examples

  • 鼓劲。
    Bǐ sài qián dà jiā dōu zài gěi tā gǔ jìn.
    Everyone was cheering him on before the match.
  • ，。
    Tā gěi dà jiā gǔ le hěn dà de jìn, duì wu shì qì gāo zhǎng.
    He gave everyone a huge boost of morale, and the team's spirit soared.
  • 。
    Tā jīng cháng yòng wēi xiào gěi bié rén gǔ jìn.
    She often encourages others with a smile.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

鼓gǔrouse
劲jìnenergy

鼓 means to rouse and 劲 means energy, so it means to cheer someone on.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 壴壴zhùdrum
  • 支支zhīhand holding drumstick

鼓 combines 壴, a drum, with 支, a hand holding a drumstick, so the character pictures a drum being struck.

Open 鼓 →

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 勁; 劲 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
巠
巠jīng勁jìn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 勁 pairs 力, meaning strength, with 巠, which gives the sound; the simplified 劲 is a shorthand and its parts are not the original ones.

Open 劲 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.