Chinese word

肯定

Pronunciation

Pinyinkěn dìng

Meaning

  • verbapprove

Example

我肯定他的努力。wǒ kěn dìng tā de nǔ lì

I approve of his efforts.

Illustration for 肯定 (approve)

More examples

同事们都肯定他的贡献。tóng shì men dōu kěn dìng tā de gòng xiàn

All the colleagues recognized his contribution.

Core concept

A settled positive judgment that treats a person, effort, or idea as worthy or correct.

Common phrases

  • 肯定他的努力kěn dìng tā de nǔ lì

    approve of his efforts

  • 肯定贡献kěn dìng gòng xiàn

    recognize contributions

  • 肯定事实kěn dìng shì shí

    affirm a fact

Similar words

承认chéng rèn: Admitting that a fact or mistake is true.
确认què rèn: Checking and establishing that information or a matter is correct.
赞成zàn chéng: Agreeing with a proposal or opinion.
支持zhī chí: Helping and encouraging a person or giving active backing to an opinion.

Definition in Chinese

用来肯认或赞同某事或某人的价值、正确性，常用于表示认可或表扬。yòng lái kěn rèn huò zàn tóng mǒu shì huò mǒu rén de jià zhí zhèng què xìng cháng yòng yú biǎo shì rèn kě huò biǎo yáng

Word origin

肯定 (kěndìng, "to affirm") combines 肯 (kěn, "be willing to") with 定 (dìng, "settle"), suggesting a settled willingness to accept something as sound or worthy.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may expect a verb of positive judgment to grant permission, but everyday Chinese also uses this word to praise a person's effort or recognize its value.

Other meanings

  • recognizeverb
  • definitelyadverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 肯定感kěn dìng gǎnself-affirmationnoun
  • 肯定性kěn dìng xìngpositivitynoun
  • 肯定地kěn dìng dìaffirmativelyadverb

Word lists with this word