鼓励 (gǔ lì) — to encourage in Mandarin
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#1099 most common word · HSK 4 · CEFR B1
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
鼓励 is pronounced gǔ lì. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Lǎo shī gǔ lì wǒ men nǔ lì xué xí.
The teacher encourages us to study hard.
Hear it, then say it right
Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio for 鼓励 and thousands more words, then scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 鼓励 mean?+
鼓励 (gǔ lì) means "to encourage" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 鼓励?+
鼓励 is pronounced gǔ lì. It uses the tone 3 (rising/dipping), then the tone 4 (falling). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 鼓励 in Mandarin?+
鼓励 is the #1099 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 鼓励 fits
Every HSK 4 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.
Words at a similar frequency
Master the tones first
What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
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