Chinese word

拼命

Pronunciation

Pinyinpīn mìng

Meaning

  • adverbdesperately

Example

他在拼命工作，为了给家人买房。tā zài pīn mìng gōng zuò wèi le gěi jiā rén mǎi fáng

He is working desperately to buy a house for his family.

Illustration for 拼命 (desperately)

More examples

她为了通过考试，最近每天都拼命复习。tā wèi le tōng guò kǎo shì zuì jìn měi tiān dōu pīn mìng fù xí

She has been studying desperately every day lately to pass the exam.

Core concept

A person throws their full strength into an action and keeps pushing at maximum intensity.

Common phrases

  • 拼命工作pīn mìng gōng zuò

    work frantically

  • 拼命赚钱pīn mìng zhuàn qián

    make money desperately

  • 拼命学习pīn mìng xué xí

    study intensely

Similar words

努力nǔ lì: By working hard and steadily toward a goal.
尽力jìn lì: By doing as much as one's abilities allow.
奋力fèn lì: By using one's full strength in an intense burst.
竭尽全力jié jìn quán lì: By using all of one's strength to do something.

Definition in Chinese

竭尽全力去做某事，侧重努力的强度，但不一定字面上冒生命危险。jié jìn quán lì qù zuò mǒu shì cè zhòng nǔ lì de qiáng dù dàn bù yí dìng zì miàn shàng mào shēng mìng wēi xiǎn

Word origin

The compound 拼 (pīn, "to strive") and 命 (mìng, "life") evokes risking one's life for a goal, which gives the modern word its strong sense of total commitment.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this word is vivid and emphatic, while milder verbs such as "try hard" or "work hard" usually fit neutral formal writing better.

Other meanings

  • with all one's mightadverb

Opposites

  • 从容地cóng róng dìcalmlyadverb
  • 轻松地qīng sōng dìeffortlesslyadverb

Word lists with this word