Chinese word

灵活

Pronunciation

Pinyinlíng huó

Meaning

  • adjectiveadaptable

Example

灵活的人知道如何应对突发情况。líng huó de rén zhī dào rú hé yìng duì tū fā qíng kuàng

An adaptable person knows how to deal with unexpected situations.

Illustration for 灵活 (adaptable)

More examples

在工作中，他能够灵活地安排时间。zài gōng zuò zhōng tā néng gòu líng huó dì ān pái shí jiān

At work, he can arrange his time flexibly.

Core concept

Keeps moving toward a goal by changing the route when the situation changes.

Common phrases

  • 灵活运用líng huó yùn yòng

    apply flexibly

  • 灵活处理líng huó chú lǐ

    handle flexibly

  • 灵活的思维líng huó de sī wéi

    flexible thinking

  • 灵活安排líng huó ān pái

    arrange flexibly

Similar words

机动jī dòng: Ready to change a setup or course of action quickly to meet new needs.
灵敏líng mǐn: Alert to outside changes and quick to react to them.
机灵jī líng: Fast-minded and able to use wit when facing an unexpected situation.

Definition in Chinese

表示行为、想法或规则可以灵活变通，不拘泥于固定方式，能适应不同情况的形容词。biǎo shì xíng wéi xiáng fǎ huò guī zé ké yǐ líng huó biàn tōng bù jū ní yú gù dìng fāng shì néng shì yìng bù tóng qíng kuàng de xíng róng cí

Word origin

灵 (líng, "nimble") + 活 (huó, "alive") combine the ideas of quick response and lively movement, giving the word its sense of adjusting to circumstances.

Usage tips

  • English flexible often focuses first on things that bend, but 灵活 (línghuó, "adaptable") commonly describes a person's thinking, a work method, or the use of a rule in changing circumstances.

Other meanings

  • flexibleadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 灵活性líng huó xìngflexibilitynoun
  • 灵活化líng huó huàmake flexibleverb

Word lists with this word