Writing Balance Rule: The left side (Yù) is narrower and slightly taller, while the right side (Lì) is wider and muscular, anchoring the character's visual weight to the right.
1. Meaning
brave, courageous
boldvaliant
AdjectiveNeutral#character#personality#virtue
Sample Usage
他是一个很勇敢的人。
Tā shì yí gè hěn yǒnggǎn de rén.
He is a very brave person.
我们要有勇气面对困难。
Wǒmen yào yǒu yǒngqì miàn duì kùnnan.
We must have the courage to face difficulties.
2. Sound
/[jʊŋ²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
勇
yǒngyong3
|
++
ˇ(214)
=yǒng
Initial Consonant
y
Type: Palatal Glide (Zero Initial)
Sounds like: y semi-vowel glide (like 'y' in 'yes')
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Acts as a bridge into 'i' or 'ü' vowel sounds.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue body rises toward the hard palate for the initial y-glide, then flattens and retracts for the -ong rhyme.
Final Rhyme
ong
Vowel Group: -o vowel group
Sounds like: -ong rhymes with rung
Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'h-' (h) with final '-ong' (oong).
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
2 → 1 → 4 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low and rises, exactly like saying 'What?' in English when expressing mild disbelief or asking for clarification.
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 3 syllable, yǒng changes to Tone 2 (yóng), though in written pinyin the original tone mark remains.
👂
Listening trap: Beginners often mistake the dipping Tone 3 for a flat tone because native speakers often truncate the rising tail in fast speech, turning it into a low dipping sound.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark or a 'V' shape in the air with your hand: start high-middle, dip down to your chest, and rise back up to show Tone 3.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 9 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left side (Yù) is narrower and slightly taller, while the right side (Lì) is wider and muscular, anchoring the character's visual weight to the right.
4. Components
Radical力 · Power Radical (strength, physical power)
Semantic Clue (形旁):力 (Contributes the core meaning of strength and physical force to bravery.)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):甬 (original sound: yong)
A person who dares to march forward (甬) and uses their muscle strength (力) is truly brave.
甬 Provides the sound yǒng and a hint of movement
力 Provides the meaning of strength and exertion
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
15· Phonetic Root: 甬 (yǒng)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Originally, the concept of bravery was represented by other characters. Later, the phonetic component 甬 (meaning tunnel or passage) was combined with 力 (strength) to form 勇, depicting someone channeling their strength forcefully.
Semantic Evolution: From physical might and daring actions in battle to general moral courage and fearlessness in modern psychological contexts.
In ancient military terminology, elite mercenary units were often referred to as 'Yǒng' (勇) troops.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
dũng
Mandarin Tone 3 (low dipping) corresponds roughly to the Vietnamese hỏi or ngã tone depending on historical register, matching 'dũng'.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ユウ (YUU) / Kun: いさ.む (isa.mu)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
용
Sound Shift Bridge: The ending -ong in Mandarin regularly corresponds to -ung/-oong in Sino-Xenic readings.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
To show true bravery (yǒng), you need both the strength of your muscle (力) and the courage to walk down a dark tunnel (甬) without fear.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
通
tōngto go through, fluentAdd the movement/road radical (辶) to the phonetic 甬 to mean passing through.
涌
yǒngto gush, well upAdd the water radical (氵) to the phonetic 甬 to mean water surging.
桶
tǒngbucket, barrelAdd the wood radical (木) to the phonetic 甬 to mean a wooden bucket.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
通(tōng)
通 uses the walking radical (辶) on the left/bottom, whereas 勇 uses the strength radical (力) on the right.
涌(yǒng)
涌 has the water radical (氵) on the left, while 勇 has the strength radical (力) on the right.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
面对困难，我们必须要有[___]去解决它。
Clue: yǒng qì
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing the right-hand side component 力 (lì - strength) with 刀 (dāo - knife), leading to incorrect stroke order and improper proportions.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 勇, what is its English meaning and Pinyin?
Production: How do you write the character for 'brave' (yǒng), and what radical is on its right side?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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勇yǒngbrave
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