Chinese word

鼓掌

Pronunciation

Pinyingǔ zhǎng

Meaning

  • verbapplaud

Example

大家一起鼓掌庆祝他。dà jiā yì qǐ gú zhǎng qìng zhù tā

Everyone applauded together to celebrate him.

Illustration for 鼓掌 (applaud)

More examples

演员谢幕时，全场观众都起立鼓掌。yǎn yuán xiè mù shí quán chǎng guān zhòng dōu qǐ lì gú zhǎng

When the actor took a curtain call, the entire audience stood and applauded.

Core concept

Hands meet to make a shared burst of sound that signals approval, celebration, or support.

Common phrases

  • 鼓掌欢迎gú zhǎng huān yíng

    welcome with applause

  • 起立鼓掌qǐ lì gú zhǎng

    stand and applaud

  • 齐声鼓掌qí shēng gú zhǎng

    applaud in unison

Similar words

拍手pāi shǒu: Making sounds by repeatedly striking the palms together.
喝彩hè cǎi: Praising or congratulating someone with enthusiastic calls.
欢呼huān hū: Raising loud cries to express joy or support.
叫好jiào hǎo: Showing approval or admiration through spoken praise.

Definition in Chinese

用手掌互相拍击产生声音，以表达对人或事情的赞许、庆祝或鼓励等情感。yòng shóu zhǎng hù xiāng pāi jī chǎn shēng shēng yīn yǐ biǎo dá duì rén huò shì qíng de zàn xǔ qìng zhù huò gǔ lì děng qíng gǎn

Word origin

鼓 (gǔ, "to beat") + 掌 (zhǎng, "palm") literally points to beating the palms together, which gives the word its sense of applauding.

Usage tips

  • In English, applaud can also mean praise someone with words, while 鼓掌 (gǔzhǎng, "to applaud") keeps the physical clapping image, so the Chinese meaning is more specific.

Other meanings

  • applausenoun

Opposites

  • 喝倒彩hè dào cǎibooverb

Related words

  • 鼓掌声gú zhǎng shēngsound of applausenoun

Word lists with this word