TongTong
Sign in

锻炼 (duàn liàn) — to exercise (physically), to work out; to train (skills, willpower), to develop through practice

Definition

锻炼 covers both 'to exercise the body' and 'to train/develop abilities' through practice. Versus 运动 (sports/physical exercise) it adds the 'develop through practice' sense; versus 练 (practice a skill) it includes the physical exercise sense.

verb
to exercise (physically)to work outto train (skills, willpower)to develop through practice

Examples

  • 锻炼，。
    Wǒ měi tiān duàn liàn shēn tǐ, suǒ yǐ hěn jiàn kāng.
    I exercise every day, so I'm very healthy.
  • 锻炼。
    Tā tōng guò gōng zuò duàn liàn le zì jǐ de néng lì.
    He developed his skills through work.
  • 锻炼。
    Pǎo bù shì yì zhǒng hěn hǎo de duàn liàn fāng shì.
    Running is a very good form of exercise.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

锻duànforge
炼liànrefine

'锻' forge, '炼' refine; together: tempering by repeated work.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鍛; 锻 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
釒Written in full as金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
段
段duàn鍛duàn
Same sound today

The traditional form 鍛 pairs 釒, a metal part, with 段, which gives the sound; the simplified 锻 is a shorthand.

Open 锻 →

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 煉; 炼 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 炼 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words it is 煉; in others (锻炼) it is 鍊.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
柬
柬jiǎn煉liàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 煉 pairs 火 (fire) with 柬 as its sound part. The simplified 炼 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical component.

Open 炼 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3HSK 2.0 Level 3Fitness & Exercise5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 3 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.