HSK 6

用功

yòng gōng

diligent

HSK 6 — —

Character Breakdown

用

yòng · to use

Radical: 用 · 5strokes

Stroke order animation for 用

功

gōng · achievement, good work

Radical: 力 · 5strokes

Stroke order animation for 功

Meaning and Usage

"用功" (yòng gōng) is an adjective describing someone who studies or works diligently and with effort. It often implies consistent, focused effort, especially in academic contexts.

Common Contexts

This word is frequently used to praise students or anyone who puts in serious effort to learn or improve. It can describe both temporary effort and habitual diligence.

Collocations and Patterns

Nuances

While "用功" emphasizes effort and diligence, it does not guarantee success, as shown in examples where someone is 用功 but still fails. It is more about the attitude and process than the outcome.

Common Confusions

Don't confuse 用功 with simply "努力" (nǔlì), which means to make an effort but is broader and can apply to many activities. 用功 is more specific to studying or working hard in a focused way.

Example Sentences

他很用功，每天都学习到很晚。

Tā hěn yòng gōng, měitiān dōu xuéxí dào hěn wǎn.

He is very diligent and studies until late every day.

用功学习是取得好成绩的关键。

Yòng gōng xuéxí shì qǔdé hǎo chéngjì de guānjiàn.

Studying diligently is the key to getting good grades.

她虽然用功，但考试还是没考好。

Tā suīrán yòng gōng, dàn kǎoshì háishì méi kǎo hǎo.

Although she studied diligently, she still didn't do well on the exam.