Meaning of 鼓励
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to encourage
How to use 鼓励
鼓励 works as a verb, often in the pattern 鼓励 + person + to do something. It can also be a noun meaning encouragement, as in 谢谢你的鼓励 (xièxie nǐ de gǔlì, thanks for your encouragement). Example: 老师鼓励我多说中文。(Lǎoshī gǔlì wǒ duō shuō Zhōngwén.) The teacher encourages me to speak more Chinese.
鼓 (gǔ) is a drum and 励 (lì) means to urge on, with 力 (lì, strength) inside it. Picture someone beating a drum to give you strength, which is what encouraging someone feels like.
Common mistake: Learners often write 励 as 厉 (lì, severe) because they sound the same, but 励 needs 力 on the right side. Also keep the third tone on 鼓 (gǔ). It is not gū or gù.
鼓励 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
鼓 gǔ · drum · 13 strokes
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励 lì · to encourage · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 鼓励.
| 奖励 | jiǎnglì | to reward; reward (as encouragement) |
| 鼓掌 | gǔzhǎng | to applaud; to clap |
| 激励 | jīlì | to encourage; to urge |
| 鼓舞 | gǔwǔ | to inspire; to encourage; to hearten; to boost (morale) |
| 鼓动 | gǔdòng | to urge (an activity that may be beneficial, harmful or neutral); to encourage; to agitate |
| 励志 | lìzhì | to pursue a goal with determination; inspirational; motivational |
| 敲边鼓 | qiāo biāngǔ | to back sb up; to support sb in an argument |
| 一鼓作气 | yīgǔ-zuòqì | in a spurt of energy |
| 鼓手 | gǔshǒu | drummer |
| 鼓起勇气 | gǔqǐyǒngqì | to summon one's courage |
| 蒙在鼓里 | méngzàigǔlǐ | lit. kept inside a drum (idiom); fig. completely in the dark |
| 打鼓 | dǎgǔ | to beat a drum; to play a drum |
Questions about 鼓励
What does 鼓励 mean?
鼓励 (gǔlì) means "to encourage" and is used as a verb and noun.
How do you write 鼓励?
鼓励 is made of 2 characters: 鼓 (13 strokes), 励 (7 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 鼓励 an HSK word?
Yes. 鼓励 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 鼓励 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 鼓励 is written 鼓勵.
What is the difference between 鼓励 and 鼓舞?
鼓励 is encouraging a person to do something, often with words or support. 鼓舞 is more about lifting spirits or morale, and it is often caused by news or events, as in 这个消息很鼓舞人心 (this news is very heartening).
How do I say I was encouraged by someone?
You can say 我受到了他的鼓励 (wǒ shòudào le tā de gǔlì), meaning I received his encouragement. Another natural option is 在他的鼓励下 (with his encouragement), placed before the main verb.