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勉强

勉強
miǎnqiǎng
adjective HSK 6 #6,122

Meanings

  1. 1 reluctant; forced; grudging
  2. 2 barely adequate; just passable
  3. 3 to force; to compel (someone to do something)

Characters

勉
miǎn
to make an effort; to encourage
强
qiǎng
to force; to compel
Literally 'effort by force' - doing something with difficulty or under pressure, not willingly.

Examples

HSK 2
他勉强笑了笑。
Tā miǎnqiǎng xiào le xiào.
He forced a smile.
HSK 2
不要勉强自己。
Búyào miǎnqiǎng zìjǐ.
Don't force yourself.
HSK 5
这次考试我勉强及格了。
Zhècì kǎoshì wǒ miǎnqiǎng jígé le.
I barely passed this exam.

Tips

mistakes
Note the unusual pronunciation: 强 here is read qiǎng (3rd tone), not qiáng (2nd tone) as in 强大 (qiángdà, 'powerful'). When 强 means 'to force/compel,' it's always qiǎng.

Stroke Order

勉 miǎn
强 qiáng