Chinese Conversation · Level 19
90 words
Chinese word
努力
Pronunciation
Pinyinnǔ lì
Meaning
- verbwork hard
Example
为了考上大学，她每天都在努力。wèi le kǎo shàng dà xué tā měi tiān dōu zài nǔ lì
To get into college, she works hard every day.
More examples
尽管身体不舒服，他还是努力工作。jín guǎn shēn tǐ bù shū fú tā hái shì nǔ lì gōng zuò
Even though he felt sick, he still worked hard.
Core concept
A sustained push of time, energy, and action that moves a person toward a goal.
Common phrases
努力工作nǔ lì gōng zuò
work hard
努力练习nǔ lì liàn xí
practice hard
Similar words
尽力jìn lì: To give one's fullest effort to a task or goal.
奋斗fèn dòu: To persist in striving against difficulties over a long period.
争取zhēng qǔ: To work actively toward gaining something desired.
Definition in Chinese
为了实现某一目标或改善现状而付出时间、精力或行动的过程，侧重于持续的投入。wèi le shí xiàn mǒu yí mù biāo huò gǎi shàn xiàn zhuàng ér fù chū shí jiān jīng lì huò xíng dòng de guò chéng cè zhòng yú chí xù de tóu rù
Word origin
努力 (nǔlì, "work hard") joins 努 (nǔ, "strive") and 力 (lì, "strength"), linking the word to deliberate effort rather than to a lucky result.
Usage tips
- In school talk, this word focuses on the work put in, not only on the final score, so it can describe progress before success is visible.
Other meanings
- effortnoun
- do one's bestverb
Opposites
- 放弃fàng qìgive upverb