奋勇

• Pinyin: fèn yǒng
• Hanzi breakdown: 奋 = 大 + 隹 (spreading wings vigorously — to exert with great spirit); 勇 = 甬 + 力 (surging + strength — brave, bold, forceful)

Meaning

To advance bravely; to act with great courage and vigour. Describes exerting oneself courageously, typically in the face of danger or intense challenge.

Often appears in phrases 奋勇向前 (advance bravely) or 奋勇争先 (strive to be first). Carries a heroic, self-sacrificing connotation. More literary than 勇敢地 (courageously). Frequently used in military, athletic, and inspirational contexts.

Examples

1. 危急关头，一名年轻战士奋勇冲入火场，将被困的平民逐一背出，事后被授予英勇勋章。 At a critical moment, a young soldier bravely rushed into the fire and carried the trapped civilians out one by one; afterward, he was awarded a medal for bravery.
2. 队长的一声号令激励着每一位队员，他们奋勇争先，以排山倒海之势将比分从落后十分追至同平。 With one command from the captain, every team member was fired up; they charged ahead to the front and roared back from a ten-point deficit to tie the score.
3. 她奋勇地站出来为被错误定罪的同事作证，即使明知此举可能给自己的职业生涯带来不可挽回的损失。 She bravely stepped forward to testify for a colleague who had been wrongly convicted, even though she knew it could cause irreparable damage to her own career.

Usage Guide

Context: military, sports, heroism, inspiration

Tone: heroic

Do Say

• 当救援队员们奋勇深入已部分坍塌的矿井时，地面上的家属们将全部希望都寄托在这支不顾生死的队伍身上。(As the rescue team members bravely pushed deep into the partially collapsed mine, the families gathered on the surface placed all their hopes in this team that disregarded their own lives.)
• 历史教科书中记载，守城的将士们在弹尽粮绝的绝境下依然奋勇抵抗，用血肉之躯书写了一段令后人永久铭记的英雄篇章。(History textbooks record that the garrison troops, even in the desperate situation of exhausted ammunition and provisions, continued to resist bravely, writing with their bodies a heroic chapter that posterity will remember forever.)

Don't Say

• 奋勇 in ordinary daily contexts — it carries a heroic or dramatic weight; for everyday bravery, use 大胆 or 勇敢地; reserve 奋勇 for situations of genuine sacrifice or intense challenge

Origin & History

奋 (to exert oneself vigorously with full spirit) + 勇 (brave; courageous) — to act with full vigour and courage; bravely advancing

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal