感动
to be moved; touch emotionally
gǎndòng
What does 感动 mean?
感动 (gǎndòng) is a verb meaning to be moved or touched emotionally, or to move someone — to stir warm feelings of gratitude, sympathy, or admiration. It works two ways: intransitively for the person who feels it (我很感动 'I'm very moved') and transitively for what causes the feeling (这个故事感动了很多人 'this story moved many people'). What trips English speakers up is that 感动 is overwhelmingly positive and warm — it describes being touched by kindness, love, or a heartfelt gesture, not being emotionally 'moved' in a neutral or negative sense.
You cannot use it for being shaken by bad news; that's 震惊 or 难过. It can also serve as an adjective/noun ('moving,' 'a moving feeling'). The passive 被感动 ('to be moved by') is very common.
Character breakdown
to feel; sense; be affected
to move; stir
Memory hook: 感 (feel) + 动 (move) — your feelings get moved, so you're touched.
Example sentences
看到这一幕，我很感动。
Kàndào zhè yí mù, wǒ hěn gǎndòng.
Seeing this scene, I was really moved.
spoken
他的话感动了在场的每一个人。
Tā de huà gǎndòng le zàichǎng de měi yí ge rén.
His words moved everyone present.
neutral
她感动得说不出话来。
Tā gǎndòng de shuō bu chū huà lái.
She was so moved she couldn't speak.
neutral
这个真实的故事让无数读者深受感动。
Zhège zhēnshí de gùshì ràng wúshù dúzhě shēn shòu gǎndòng.
This true story deeply moved countless readers.
written
Common phrases with 感动
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感动 appears in 1 podcast episode at natural native speed, with full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Synonyms
感激 is specifically gratitude toward someone who helped you. 感动 is the broader emotional 'being touched,' which may or may not involve gratitude. You can be 感动 by a sad film but 感激 only a person.
Don't confuse 感动 with
FAQ
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