Chinese word

顽强

Pronunciation

Pinyinwán qiáng

Meaning

  • adjectivetenacious

Example

他在比赛中表现得顽强。tā zài bǐ sài zhōng biǎo xiàn de wán qiáng

He was tenacious in the competition.

Illustration for 顽强 (tenacious)

More examples

这些小动物顽强，最终存活下来。zhè xiē xiǎo dòng wù wán qiáng zuì zhōng cún huó xià lái

These small animals were tenacious and ultimately survived.

Core concept

A person, group, or living thing holds firm and keeps going when pressure would make it give way.

Common phrases

  • 顽强奋斗wán qiáng fèn dòu

    struggle tenaciously

  • 顽强生存wán qiáng shēng cún

    survive tenaciously

  • 顽强的精神wán qiáng de jīng shén

    tenacious spirit

Similar words

坚韧jiān rèn: Strong and steady enough to withstand hardship over a long period.
坚强jiān qiáng: Strong in mind and spirit, especially when facing hardship or a heavy blow.
固执gù zhí: Firmly refusing to change a view or behavior, even when others disagree.

Definition in Chinese

用于描述在困境中凭借意志或力量坚持不懈、不容易屈服的品质或表现。yòng yú miáo shù zài kùn jìng zhōng píng jiè yì zhì huò lì liàng jiān chí bú xiè bù róng yì qū fú de pǐn zhì huò biǎo xiàn

Word origin

顽 (wán, "stubborn") + 强 (qiáng, "strong") combines resistance to yielding with strength, giving the word its sense of standing firm through hardship.

Usage tips

  • Chinese often uses this adjective as praise for performance under pressure, and it can describe athletes, teams, plants, or recovery efforts as well as people.

Other meanings

  • unyieldingadjective
  • sturdyadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word