Chinese word

锻炼

Pronunciation

Pinyinduàn liàn

Meaning

  • verbexercise

Example

我每天早上锻炼半小时。wǒ měi tiān zǎo shàng duàn liàn bàn xiǎo shí

I exercise for half an hour every morning.

Illustration for 锻炼 (exercise)

More examples

周末我们去公园锻炼身体。zhōu mò wǒ men qù gōng yuán duàn liàn shēn tǐ

On weekends, we go to the park to exercise our bodies.

Core concept

Steady effort that turns regular practice into greater strength, skill, or inner firmness.

Common phrases

  • 锻炼身体duàn liàn shēn tǐ

    exercise the body

  • 锻炼耐力duàn liàn nài lì

    build endurance

  • 锻炼意志duàn liàn yì zhì

    strengthen one's willpower

Similar words

运动yùn dòng: To do sports or other activities that involve physical movement.
健身jiàn shēn: To exercise for better fitness, strength, and health.
训练xùn liàn: To follow a planned program to improve a skill or physical ability.
练习liàn xí: To repeat a skill or movement until it becomes familiar.

Definition in Chinese

通过有规律的身体活动或练习来增强体能和健康，也可指通过训练提高能力或意志力。tōng guò yǒu guī lǜ de shēn tǐ huó dòng huò liàn xí lái zēng qiáng tǐ néng hé jiàn kāng yě kě zhǐ tōng guò xùn liàn tí gāo néng lì huò yì zhì lì

Word origin

The characters 锻 (duàn, "forge") and 炼 (liàn, "refine") evoke metal made stronger through heat and work, which became a metaphor for training the body, abilities, and will.

Usage tips

  • Frequency and duration expressions commonly appear around this verb in routine talk, making it useful for describing regular habits and daily schedules.

Other meanings

  • temperverb
  • trainverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 锻炼法duàn liàn fǎtraining methodnoun
  • 锻炼器材duàn liàn qì cáiexercise equipmentnoun

Word lists with this word