锻炼
to exercise; to work out
duànliàn
What does 锻炼 mean?
锻炼 (duànliàn) means 'to exercise / work out / train oneself' — both physically and figuratively. Originally a metallurgy word meaning 'to forge and refine (metal),' it now mostly describes building bodily fitness through repeated activity: jogging, lifting weights, doing tai chi, playing sports. Use 锻炼身体 (duànliàn shēntǐ) 'exercise the body' for the everyday phrase 'work out / stay fit.'
锻炼 also extends figuratively to character and skill training: 锻炼意志 'train your willpower,' 在工作中锻炼自己 'temper yourself through work' — the metaphor of forging stays alive. Unlike 运动 (yùndòng, 'sports / move around'), which can mean any physical activity including casual play, 锻炼 carries the sense of deliberate, repeated training for improvement. The character 锻 has the metal radical 钅, recalling its blacksmithing origin; 炼 has the fire radical 火, evoking heat and refinement.
Note: Neutral. Often used as both verb and noun: 我每天锻炼 ('I exercise every day') and 锻炼很重要 ('exercise is important')
Character breakdown
to forge (metal); to temper
to smelt; to refine by fire
Memory hook: Both characters come from metalwork — 锻 (forge) + 炼 (smelt) = forge and refine = train yourself like steel.
Example sentences
我每天早上去公园锻炼身体。
Wǒ měi tiān zǎoshang qù gōngyuán duànliàn shēntǐ.
Every morning I go to the park to exercise.
neutral
多锻炼对身体很好。
Duō duànliàn duì shēntǐ hěn hǎo.
Exercising more is very good for your body.
spoken
他每天锻炼一个小时。
Tā měi tiān duànliàn yí ge xiǎoshí.
He exercises for one hour every day.
neutral
工作再忙，也要坚持锻炼。
Gōngzuò zài máng, yě yào jiānchí duànliàn.
No matter how busy work is, you should stick with exercising.
neutral
在新公司，他得到了很好的锻炼。
Zài xīn gōngsī, tā dédào le hěn hǎo de duànliàn.
At the new company, he got valuable training (life experience).
written
Common phrases with 锻炼
Synonyms
运动 is the broader word — 'sports / physical activity / motion.' It can mean a casual game or any movement. 锻炼 implies deliberate, repeated training for fitness. Kids 运动 in the playground; adults 锻炼 in the gym.
练习 means 'to practice (a skill)' — practicing piano, writing characters, English speaking. 锻炼 is mostly physical / character training. 练习中文 not 锻炼中文.
Don't confuse 锻炼 with
Don't write 段炼. The correct character is 锻 with the metal radical 钅 (forging), not 段 (a section). Mixing them up is a common writing mistake.
锻造 keeps the literal metallurgy meaning 'to forge / to manufacture (steel).' 锻炼 is the figurative 'to train / exercise.' Same first character, different second character and use.