奥运会

• Pinyin: ào yùn huì
• Hanzi breakdown: 奥 (phonetic for Oly-) + 运 (sports) + 会 (gathering)

Meaning

The Olympic Games; the Olympics.

Short for 奥林匹克运动会. The world's largest international sports competition, held every four years. China hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008 (Beijing) and Winter Olympics in 2022 (Beijing).

Examples

1. 北京在2008年成功举办了夏季奥运会。 Beijing successfully hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008.
2. 她的梦想是代表国家参加奥运会。 Her dream is to represent her country at the Olympics.
3. 奥运会是全世界运动员展示实力的最高舞台。 The Olympics is the highest stage for athletes worldwide to showcase their abilities.

Usage Guide

Context: sports, news

Tone: formal

Do Say

• 下届奥运会在哪里举办？(Where will the next Olympics be held?)
• 他是奥运会金牌得主。(He's an Olympic gold medalist.)

Don't Say

• 把其他综合运动会说成'奥运会' (Don't call other events like Asian Games 奥运会 — it specifically means Olympics)

Origin & History

奥运 (short for 奥林匹克运动, transliteration of 'Olympic') + 会 (meeting/event).

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal