强调

• Pinyin: qiáng diào
• Hanzi breakdown: 强 = 弓 (bow) + component suggesting force; 调 = 讠(speech) + 周 (around), meaning to adjust or tone

Meaning

To emphasise; to stress; to underline. To place special importance on a point or idea.

Very common in both spoken and written Chinese. Used when someone wants to highlight the importance of something — in meetings, speeches, articles, and daily conversation. Often followed by a clause or noun phrase explaining what is being emphasised. Frequently appears in news reports quoting officials.

Examples

1. 老师反复强调这个知识点很重要。 The teacher repeatedly emphasised that this knowledge point is very important.
2. 他强调我们必须按时完成任务。 He stressed that we must finish the task on time.
3. 报告中特别强调了环境保护的问题。 The report placed special emphasis on the issue of environmental protection.

Usage Guide

Context: meetings, speeches, education, news

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 我要强调一点：安全永远是第一位的。(I want to emphasise one thing: safety always comes first.)
• 她再三强调了这件事的重要性。(She stressed the importance of this matter again and again.)

Don't Say

• 我强调你很漂亮。(Don't use 强调 for compliments — it means to emphasise a point or argument, not to declare a personal opinion. Say 觉得 or 认为 instead.)

Origin & History

强 means strong or forceful; 调 means to adjust or a tone. Together they mean to make a point forcefully — to adjust one's tone to be stronger on a particular matter.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal