Chinese word

劝

Pronunciation

Pinyinquàn

Meaning

  • verbadvise

Example

我劝你别抽烟。wǒ quàn nǐ bié chōu yān

I advise you not to smoke.

Illustration for 劝 (advise)

More examples

医生劝他多运动。yī shēng quàn tā duō yùn dòng

The doctor advised him to exercise more.

Core concept

An effort to steer another person's thinking or actions through reasons, concern, or persistent prompting.

Common phrases

  • 劝朋友quàn péng yǒu

    advise a friend

  • 劝家人quàn jiā rén

    advise one's family

  • 劝她不要quàn tā bú yào

    advise her not to

Similar words

建议jiàn yì: To put forward an action or idea for someone to accept or consider.
劝说quàn shuō: To persuade someone through discussion, reasons, or explanations.
劝告quàn gào: To caution someone about what they are doing and urge a better choice.
鼓励gǔ lì: To give someone confidence and motivation to start or continue an action.

Definition in Chinese

以建议、忠告或说服为目的，用言语或行为促使他人改变想法或采取行动，常含关切或劝阻的意味。yǐ jiàn yì zhōng gào huò shuō fú wèi mù dì yòng yán yǔ huò xíng wéi cù shǐ tā rén gǎi biàn xiáng fǎ huò cái qǔ xíng dòng cháng hán guān qiè huò quàn zǔ de yì wèi

Word origin

劝 (quàn, "advise") is the simplified form of an older character built with a component associated with exertion, fitting the idea of applying effort to change another person's course.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may treat this verb as a gentle suggestion, but everyday Chinese also uses it for a firm personal warning, with tone and context showing the strength of the message.

Other meanings

  • persuadeverb
  • urgeverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word