Chinese word

用功

Pronunciation

Pinyinyòng gōng

Meaning

  • adjectivehardworking

Example

她很用功，考试总是考好。tā hěn yòng gōng kǎo shì zǒng shì kǎo hǎo

She is very hardworking, and she always does well on exams.

Illustration for 用功 (hardworking)

More examples

孩子们在补习班里都很用功，进步很快。hái zi men zài bǔ xí bān lǐ dōu hěn yòng gōng jìn bù hěn kuài

The children are all very hardworking at the cram school and improve quickly.

Core concept

Steady effort invested in study or a task, with time and energy directed toward doing it well.

Common phrases

  • 非常用功fēi cháng yòng gōng

    very hardworking

  • 用功的孩子yòng gōng de hái zi

    hardworking child

  • 平时很用功píng shí hěn yòng gōng

    usually very hardworking

Similar words

勤奋qín fèn: Consistently putting serious effort into study or work.
刻苦kè kǔ: Hardworking in study or work while patiently enduring difficulty.
努力nǔ lì: Making a strong effort to achieve a particular goal.
认真rèn zhēn: Taking study or work seriously and handling each detail with care.

Definition in Chinese

形容人在学习或做事上很勤勉，投入较多时间和精力，常用于夸赞学业认真的人。xíng róng rén zài xué xí huò zuò shì shàng hěn qín miǎn tóu rù jiào duō shí jiān hé jīng lì cháng yòng yú kuā zàn xué yè rèn zhēn de rén

Word origin

用功 (yònggōng, "apply oneself") combines 用 (yòng, "use") and 功 (gōng, "effort or achievement"), framing diligence as effort put to productive use.

Usage tips

  • In everyday speech, 很 (hěn, "very") often comes before 用功 (yònggōng, "diligent") when a speaker praises a learner, making this a useful pattern for brief spoken feedback.

Other meanings

  • studiousadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word