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鼓足 (gǔ zú) — to muster up, to gather up (courage, strength, enthusiasm, etc.)

Definition

A transitive verb meaning to gather up and fully summon (courage, strength, or drive) from within oneself. The object is always an internal resource — 勇气, 干劲, 力量 — never a person or external thing.

verb
to muster upto gather up (courage, strength, enthusiasm, etc.)

Examples

  • 鼓足，。
    Tā gǔ zú yǒng qì, zhōng yú shuō chū le xīn lǐ huà.
    He mustered up his courage and finally spoke his mind.
  • 鼓足，。
    Wǒ men yīng gāi gǔ zú gàn jìn, bǎ gōng zuò zuò dé gèng hǎo.
    We should muster up our enthusiasm to do the job even better.
  • 鼓足，。
    Duì yuán men gǔ zú quán shēn de lì liàng, chōng xiàng zhōng diǎn.
    The team members mustered up all their strength and sprinted to the finish.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

鼓gǔrouse
足zúfull

鼓 means to rouse and 足 means full, so it means to gather up full strength.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

足 was originally drawn as a leg.

Open 足 →
Appears in
Will & Intention

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