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努力 (nǔ lì) — (verb) to make an effort, to try hard; (adjective) hard-working, diligent

Definition

努力 is the everyday 'try hard / hard-working' — a general effort word used for study, work, or any goal. 奋斗 is more forceful and tied to fighting for a cause, while 勤奋 describes a steady, diligent habit.

verb
to make an effortto try hard
adjective
hard-workingdiligent

Examples

  • 努力，。
    Tā fēi cháng nǔ lì, měi tiān xué xí dào hěn wǎn.
    He is very hard-working and studies until late every day.
  • 努力。
    Wǒ huì nǔ lì wán chéng zhè ge rèn wu.
    I will try hard to finish this task.
  • 努力。
    Tā shì yí gè nǔ lì de xué shēng.
    She is a diligent student.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

努nǔexert
力lìstrength

努 means to exert, and 力 is strength or effort, so the word is to exert effort.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
奴
奴nú努nǔ
Same sound today

The form 努 places 力 (strength) under 奴, which gives the sound; it means to exert strength.

Open 努 →

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

力 is drawn as either an arm bending out from the side of the body or a wooden plough.

Open 力 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3HSK 2.0 Level 31000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsSuccess & FailurePersonality & Traits2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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