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鼓动 (gǔ dòng) — to urge, encourage, or incite (someone) to take action; to flap (wings, a fan, etc.)

Definition

鼓动 (gǔdòng) means to urge or stir people into action — stronger and more mobilizing than 鼓励 (encourage) or 激励 (motivate), and can imply pushing toward something risky. Also used literally for flapping wings.

verb
to urgeencourageor incite (someone) to take actionto flap (wings, a fan, etc.)

Examples

  • 鼓动。
    Hěn duō zhì yuàn zhě gǔ dòng dà jiā cān jiā zhè cì huó dòng.
    Many volunteers urged everyone to participate in this event.
  • 鼓动。
    Yǒu rén gǔ dòng tā men bú yào fàng qì zì jǐ de quán lì.
    Someone incited them not to give up their rights.
  • 鼓动，。
    Niǎo gǔ dòng chì bǎng, fēi xiàng tiān kōng.
    The bird flapped its wings and flew toward the sky.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

鼓gǔbeat
动dòngmove

鼓 (to beat or urge) plus 动 (to move) means setting someone into action.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 動; 动 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng動dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 動 uses 力 (strength) and 重 as a sound part; 重 refers to a heavy bag ready to be moved by a human. This note is about 動, not 动.

Open 动 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6

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