How do you say "flexible" in Chinese?

灵活

líng huó

Adjective Hanzi

In Chinese, "flexible" is 灵活 (líng huó).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

To get líng huó right, aim for "líng" pushed upward like a question (second tone), then "huó" pushed upward like a question (second tone).

Writing and usage

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

Example sentence

体操运动员必须非常灵活。

tǐ cāo yùn dòng yuán bì xū fēi cháng líng huó 。

A gymnast must be very flexible.

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How to remember 灵活

Turn "líng huó" into a tiny story about flexible — the sillier the mental image, the faster it sticks.

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 灵活

How do you pronounce 灵活?

To get líng huó right, aim for "líng" pushed upward like a question (second tone), then "huó" pushed upward like a question (second tone).

Is 灵活 formal or casual?

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

How is 灵活 used in Chinese?

灵活 is used the same way as the equivalent English adjective. For example: 体操运动员必须非常灵活。 (A gymnast must be very flexible.).

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.

"Flexible" in other languages

Curated by Jack 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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