Chinese

加油

/t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ joʊ̯³⁵/
to oil; to lubricate
  • HSK 2
  • TOCFL 4

Etymology graph

  • inherited
  • borrowed
  • derived
  • parts
  • meaning component
  • sound component
  • related
React Flow

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Origin

It started to be used as an interjection in the '60s and '70s during the Macau Grand Prix when people start chanting "加油", urging the drivers to step on the gas pedal to increase speed.

From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Lineage

  • characterChinese加 “to put on top of another object”
    • ideaChinese力 “physical strength; physical power; energy”
    • ideaChinese口 “mouth, especially the lips and internal mouth cavity (Classifier: 把 c)”
  • characterChinese油 “name of an ancient river”
    • meaningChinese水 “water (Classifier: 瓶 m; 樽 c; 滴 m c; 池 m c; 盆 m c; 杯 m c)”
    • soundChinese由 “cause; reason”

Sources