激励
jīlì
to encourage, to motivate
Part of speech · verb
Pattern visualization
no decomposition available
Examples
- 父亲的话激励他不断努力。His father’s words spurred him to keep striving.
- 用奖金激励员工。Motivating employees with bonuses.
Collocations
激励员工激励机制互相激励激励人心
Mnemonic
激 jī "to stir, intense" + 励 lì "to encourage, strive": to stir someone to strive, i.e. to encourage, to motivate, to spur on. Same as the Korean word gyeong-nyeo (激勵). Stimulating and heartening others to strive harder through words or rewards (激励员工 to motivate employees, 激励机制 an incentive system). Where 鼓舞 boosts morale and spirit, 激励 leans more toward concrete stimulus and motivation (e.g. rewards). 激 means "to stir, intense" (激动, 刺激); 励 means "to encourage, strive" (勉励, 励志).
Related
鼓舞鼓励勉励激发
Quick check
What is the nuance of 激励 versus 鼓舞?