努力
to work hard; effort
nǔlì
What does 努力 mean?
努力 (nǔlì) means to work hard, make an effort, or strive — and can also function as an adjective ('hardworking') and a noun ('effort'). It carries an unambiguously positive moral weight in Chinese culture: 努力 is what good students, good workers, and good people do. The pattern 努力 + verb is extremely common: 努力学习 (study hard), 努力工作 (work hard), 努力练习 (practice hard).
As an adjective it follows 很: 他很努力 ('he works very hard'). Two differences from English: first, 努力 covers both the action ('I'm working hard') and the trait ('she's hardworking') without needing a different word; second, 加油！(jiāyóu, 'come on / you can do it') is often paired with 努力 as encouragement. Common compound: 不努力 ('not making an effort')
Character breakdown
to exert; put forth strength
strength; force
Memory hook: Exert + strength = put your strength into it = work hard.
Example sentences
我会努力学习中文。
Wǒ huì nǔlì xuéxí Zhōngwén.
I will study Chinese hard.
neutral
他工作很努力。
Tā gōngzuò hěn nǔlì.
He works very hard at his job.
spoken
只要努力，你就能做到。
Zhǐyào nǔlì, nǐ jiù néng zuòdào.
As long as you try hard, you can do it.
neutral
继续努力，加油！
Jìxù nǔlì, jiāyóu!
Keep working hard — you can do it!
spoken
她的努力大家都看到了。
Tā de nǔlì dàjiā dōu kàndào le.
Everyone has seen her effort.
neutral
Common phrases with 努力
Synonyms
用功 specifically means to apply effort to studying. 努力 is broader — any kind of hard work. 'A hardworking student' = 用功的学生 or 努力的学生; 'a hardworking employee' = only 努力的员工.