Chinese word

运动

Pronunciation

Pinyinyùn dòng

Meaning

  • verbexercise

Example

我每天运动。wǒ měi tiān yùn dòng

I exercise every day.

Illustration for 运动 (exercise)

More examples

她喜欢在公园运动，呼吸新鲜空气。tā xǐ huān zài gōng yuán yùn dòng hū xī xīn xiān kōng qì

She likes to exercise in the park and breathe fresh air.

Core concept

Purposeful movement of the body that can become repeated training or organized play.

Common phrases

  • 在公园运动zài gōng yuán yùn dòng

    exercise in the park

  • 去运动qù yùn dòng

    go exercise

  • 晚上运动wǎn shàng yùn dòng

    exercise at night

Similar words

锻炼duàn liàn: Trains the body regularly to build strength and improve health.
散步sàn bù: Walks slowly outdoors or in a park to relax the body and refresh the mind.
跑步pǎo bù: Runs for exercise, moving quickly forward on foot.
跳tiào: Pushes off the ground with the feet and rises into the air.

Definition in Chinese

通过跑、跳、投掷、球类等身体动作来锻炼身体或进行比赛的活动，也可指这些活动的总称。tōng guò pǎo tiào tóu zhì qiú lèi děng shēn tǐ dòng zuò lái duàn liàn shēn tǐ huò jìn xíng bǐ sài de huó dòng yě kě zhǐ zhè xiē huó dòng de zǒng chēng

Word origin

运动 (yùndòng, "movement") joins 运 (yùn, "move or carry") + 动 (dòng, "move"), so its form points to movement that becomes physical activity.

Usage tips

  • The word fits both a regular activity and a competitive game, while English often chooses different words for these settings; context shows which meaning is intended.

Other meanings

  • movementnoun
  • sportnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 运动服yùn dòng fúsportswearnoun
  • 运动量yùn dòng liàngamount of exercisenoun

Word lists with this word