努力

努力

Chinese

		to exert; to strive	power; force; strength
simp. and trad. (努力)		努	力

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): nǔlì

  (Zhuyin): ㄋㄨˇ ㄌㄧˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): nou⁵ lik⁶
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): nú-li̍t
• Min Nan (POJ): ló͘-le̍k / nó͘-le̍k / lǒ͘-lia̍k

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: nǔlì
    • Zhuyin: ㄋㄨˇ ㄌㄧˋ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: nuulih
    • IPA ^(key): /nu²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ li⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)
    • Jyutping: nou⁵ lik⁶
    • Yale: nóuh lihk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: nou⁵ lik⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: nou⁵ lig⁶
    • IPA ^(key): /nou̯¹³ lɪk̚²/
    • Homophones:

      edit edit 努力 腦力／脑力

• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: nú-li̍t
    • Hakka Romanization System: nu` lid
    • Hagfa Pinyim: nu³ lid⁶
    • IPA: /nu³¹ lit̚⁵/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien: Taipei, Kaohsiung)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ló͘-le̍k
    • Tâi-lô: lóo-li̍k
    • Phofsit Daibuun: loflek
    • IPA (Taipei): /lɔ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ liɪk̚⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /lɔ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ liɪk̚⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: nó͘-le̍k
    • Tâi-lô: nóo-li̍k
    • Phofsit Daibuun: noflek
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /nɔ̃⁵³⁻⁴⁴ liɪk̚¹²¹/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /nɔ̃⁵³⁻⁴⁴ liɪk̚⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lǒ͘-lia̍k
    • Tâi-lô: lǒo-lia̍k
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /lɔ²² liak̚²⁴/

Verb

努力

1. to make an effort; to strive; to endeavor; to work hard

   不懈努力  ―  bùxiè nǔlì  ―  to persevere; perseverance

   共同努力  ―  gòngtóng nǔlì  ―  to work together

   要是現在不努力的話，將來會後悔的。 [MSC, trad.]
   要是现在不努力的话，将来会后悔的。 [MSC, simp.]

   Yàoshì xiànzài bù nǔlì dehuà, jiānglái huì hòuhuǐ de. [Pinyin]

   If you don't work hard now, you'll regret it later on.

Synonyms

• 打拼 (dǎpīn)
• 勉力 (miǎnlì)
• (literary) 僶俛 (mǐnmiǎn)
• (Min Nan) 拍拚 (phah-piàⁿ)

Adjective

努力

1. hard-working; diligent; industrious

   一個非常努力的員工 [MSC, trad.]
   一个非常努力的员工 [MSC, simp.]

   yī ge fēicháng nǔlì de yuángōng [Pinyin]

   a hardworking employee

Synonyms

edit

刻苦 (kèkǔ) 勤勉 (qínmiǎn) 勤勞／勤劳 (qínláo) 勤奮／勤奋 (qínfèn)

堅苦／坚苦 (jiānkǔ) (hardworking and persevering) 急計／急计 (Min Nan) 耐勞／耐劳 (nàiláo)

Antonyms

• 懶惰／懒惰 (lǎnduò)

Adverb

努力

1. diligently; hard (with a great deal of effort)

   非常努力地工作  ―  fēicháng nǔlì de gōngzuò  ―  to work extremely hard

Noun

努力

1. endeavor; ability; effort

   盡最大的努力 / 尽最大的努力  ―  jìn zuìdà de nǔlì  ―  to do all one can

   資質愚笨的人應加倍努力，方可獲致成功。 [MSC, trad.]
   资质愚笨的人应加倍努力，方可获致成功。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zīzhì yúbèn de rén yìng jiābèi nǔlì, fāng kě huòzhì chénggōng. [Pinyin]

   People who are naturally clumsy should redouble their efforts in order to achieve success.

See also

• (Cantonese) 畀心機／畀心机 (bei2 sam1 gei1)

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
努	力
ど Grade: 4	りょく Grade: 1
on’yomi

Etymology

From Middle Chinese compound 努力 (nuo li̯ək, literally “to exert + strength”). Compare modern Cantonese reading nou⁵ lik⁶ or Min Nan ló͘-le̍k.

Pronunciation

• On’yomi: Kan’on
  • (Tokyo) ど​りょく [dóꜜryòkù] (Atamadaka – [1])[1][2]
  • IPA^(key): [do̞ɾʲo̞kɯ̟ᵝ]

Noun

努力 (hiragana どりょく, rōmaji doryoku)

1. an effort, an endeavor

Synonyms

• 労力 (ろうりょく) (rōryoku), 尽力 (じんりょく) (jinryoku)

Verb

努力する (suru conjugation, hiragana どりょくする, rōmaji doryoku suru)

1. to endeavor, to make an effort

   彼 (かれ)は試 (し)験 (けん)に合格 (ごうかく)するために努力 (どりょく)した。

   Kare wa shiken ni gōkaku suru tame ni doryoku shita.

   He worked hard to pass the exam.

Conjugation

Conjugation of "努力する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	努力し	どりょくし	doryoku shi
Continuative (連用形)	努力し	どりょくし	doryoku shi
Terminal (終止形)	努力する	どりょくする	doryoku suru
Attributive (連体形)	努力する	どりょくする	doryoku suru
Hypothetical (仮定形)	努力すれ	どりょくすれ	doryoku sure
Imperative (命令形)	努力せよ¹ 努力しろ²	どりょくせよ¹ どりょくしろ²	doryoku seyo¹ doryoku shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	努力される	どりょくされる	doryoku sareru
Causative	努力させる 努力さす	どりょくさせる どりょくさす	doryoku saseru doryoku sasu
Potential	努力できる	どりょくできる	doryoku dekiru
Volitional	努力しよう	どりょくしよう	doryoku shiyō
Negative	努力しない	どりょくしない	doryoku shinai
Negative continuative	努力せず	どりょくせず	doryoku sezu
Formal	努力します	どりょくします	doryoku shimasu
Perfective	努力した	どりょくした	doryoku shita
Conjunctive	努力して	どりょくして	doryoku shite
Hypothetical conditional	努力すれば	どりょくすれば	doryoku sureba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative

Synonyms

• 努 (つと)める (tsutomeru)

References

1. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

• 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.

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Korean

Hanja in this term
努	力

Noun

努力 • (noryeok) (hangeul 노력)

1. Hanja form^? of 노력 (“an effort, an endeavor”).

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Vietnamese

Hán tự in this word
努	力

Noun

努力

1. Hán tự form of nỗ lực (“great effort; endeavor”).

Verb

努力

1. Hán tự form of nỗ lực (“to strive; to endeavor”).