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玩命 (wán mìng) — to go all out; to do something with furious intensity, often risking danger or overexertion

Definition

玩命 (wánmìng) is a colloquial verb meaning to push oneself to extremes — risking exhaustion or danger for a result. Conveys reckless intensity, unlike neutral 'try hard' phrasings.

verb
to go all outto do something with furious intensity, often risking danger or overexertion

Examples

  • ，玩命。
    Wèi le zhè chǎng bǐ sài, tā zhēn shì wán mìng le.
    He really went all out for this competition.
  • 玩命，。
    Bié wán mìng, ān quán dì yī.
    Don't risk your life — safety comes first.
  • 玩命，。
    Tā wán mìng dì pǎo, zhōng yú gǎn shàng le huǒ chē.
    He ran like crazy and finally caught the train.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

玩wánplay
命mìnglife

To 玩 play with one's 命 life, going all out.

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
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
元
元yuán玩wán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

玩 pairs 玉 (jade) with 元 (yuán) for sound. The jade part points to toys made of jade.

Open 玩 →

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng命mìng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

命 combines 口, a mouth, with 令, which gives the sound.

Open 命 →
Appears in
Safety & Danger

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