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鼓舞 (gǔ wǔ) — (adjective) inspiring, heartening; (verb) to inspire, to encourage, to boost (morale)

Definition

Stronger and more emotive than 鼓励 — it lifts people's morale or spirit, not just nudges them to act. Also used as an adjective for things that feel inspiring.

adjective
inspiringheartening
verb
to inspireto encourageto boost (morale)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 鼓舞。
    Zhè ge chéng jì fēi cháng gǔ wǔ rén.
    This achievement is very inspiring.
  • 鼓舞。
    Tā de jīng lì gǔ wǔ le hěn duō rén qù zhuī qiú mèng xiǎng.
    His experience inspired many people to pursue their dreams.
  • 鼓舞，。
    Bèi dà jiā gǔ wǔ zhī hòu, tā bú zài hài pà le.
    After being encouraged by everyone, she was no longer afraid.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

鼓gǔrouse
舞wǔstir

鼓 suggests rousing and 舞 suggests stirring, so 鼓舞 means to inspire or hearten.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
舛舛chuǎnsteps, feet in convergent direction
Sound part声符shēngfú
無
無wú舞wǔ
Same sound today

舞 combines 舛, showing feet in converging steps, with 無 above. 無 gave the sound and also preserved its older meaning of dancing, so the shape points to dancing.

Open 舞 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 5Emotions & Feelings

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