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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner

How do you say "exercise" in Chinese?

锻炼

duàn liàn

Noun Hanzi

In Chinese, "exercise" is 锻炼 (duàn liàn).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

Voice this as "duàn liàn" — fourth tone, then fourth tone — snapping downward fast, like giving a short order. Most learners round off the tone too soon, so exaggerate it while practicing duàn liàn.

Writing and usage

锻炼 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

每天锻炼对心脏有益。

měi tiān duàn liàn duì xīn zàng yǒu yì 。

Daily exercise is good for your heart.

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How to remember 锻炼

Picture the moment when daily exercise is good for your heart — that image locks onto "duàn liàn" for exercise.

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 锻炼

How do you pronounce 锻炼?

Voice this as "duàn liàn" — fourth tone, then fourth tone — snapping downward fast, like giving a short order. Most learners round off the tone too soon, so exaggerate it while practicing duàn liàn.

Is 锻炼 formal or casual?

锻炼 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is 锻炼 used in Chinese?

锻炼 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 每天锻炼对心脏有益。 (Daily exercise is good for your heart.).

Where can I practice Chinese words for free?

You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Exercise" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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