Chinese word

练

Pronunciation

Pinyinliàn

Meaning

  • verbpractice

Example

我每天都要练中文口语。wǒ měi tiān dōu yào liàn zhōng wén kóu yǔ

I practice speaking Chinese every day.

Illustration for 练 (practice)

More examples

他每天练字半小时。tā měi tiān liàn zì bàn xiǎo shí

He practices writing Chinese characters for half an hour every day.

Core concept

Regular hands-on effort that makes a skill stronger through repeated attempts.

Common phrases

  • 练字liàn zì

    practice writing Chinese characters

  • 练习liàn xí

    practice

Similar words

练习liàn xí: Practice a learned skill or activity repeatedly to build ability.
学习xué xí: Study to gain or understand new knowledge or skills.

Definition in Chinese

为提高某项技能而重复进行练习的动作或过程。wèi tí gāo mǒu xiàng jì néng ér chóng fù jìn xíng liàn xí de dòng zuò huò guò chéng

Word origin

练 (liàn, "to practice") grew from the older meaning of refining silk, where repeated handling made the material finer, so the word came to describe repeated work that improves a skill.

Usage tips

  • The object after 练 (liàn, "to practice") can be a skill, school subject, or activity, so one sentence pattern covers language, music, handwriting, and sports.

Other meanings

  • trainverb
  • exerciseverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word