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湧 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
湧yǒngto gush, to well up, to bubble upx, 12 strokes, radical 氵
yǒng(yong3)yong T3
  1. 1to gush, to well up, to bubble up
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March 24, 2026

湧yǒng(yong3)

The character 湧 (yǒng) means to gush or bubble up, often used to describe liquids or emotions that overflow. It conveys a sense of sudden and abundant movement, commonly found in contexts such as water flowing from a spring or feelings surging within a person.

Strokes12Radical氵
Cultural note

In Chinese culture, water is often associated with emotions and spirituality. The concept of 湧 reflects how feelings can overflow, similar to how rivers are revered for their life-giving properties, symbolizing abundance and vitality.

Memory tip

Imagine a giant fountain (the water radical 水) bursting forth with a powerful force, creating a spectacular display as it gushes upwards (the character's shape has a flowing quality). The sound of the water 'yǒng' resonates like the joy of a surprise party when emotions well up suddenly.

Meanings of 湧

yǒng(yong3)
1to gush, to well up, to bubble up
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

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About 湧

湧Simplified
12Strokes
氵Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 湧

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Podcast: 湧

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AI study notes for 湧

Quick Contrast

涌 (yǒng) vs 冒 (mào) — use 湧 for a sudden and abundant flow, while 冒 is more about rising or emerging, often with less intensity.

Usage Notes

湧 is typically used in both formal and informal contexts. Common collocations include 湧出 (yǒngchū, to gush out) and 情感湧現 (qínggǎn yǒngxiàn, emotions welling up). Learners should be cautious with tonal pronunciation; the third tone can be tricky.

HSK Study Tips

Although 湧 is not included in the HSK vocabulary, it connects to HSK Level 4 words related to water (水) and emotions (情感). Students should focus on the character's components and practice using it in descriptive sentences.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 湧 with 泉 (quán), which means spring or fountain. For example, saying '泉水湧出' (quánshuǐ yǒngchū) is incorrect; it should be '湧水湧出' (yǒngshuǐ yǒngchū) to maintain the correct meaning.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 湧

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Etymology of 湧

Formation typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 甬 represents the sound. Simplified form of 湧.

Memory hint

water

Semantic (meaning)氵
+
Phonetic (sound)勈
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Origin

湧 = 氵 + 勈. What kind of character does that make it?

Decomposition of 湧

IDS Structure⿰氵勈
湧Full character
=
氵shui3
left
勈yong3
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Parts

Which of these is part of 湧?

How to say to gush, to well up, to bubble up in Chinese

“to gush, to well up, to bubble up” in Chinese is湧yǒng

The character 湧 (yǒng) means to gush or bubble up, often used to describe liquids or emotions that overflow. It conveys a sense of sudden and abundant movement, commonly found in contexts such as water flowing from a spring or feelings surging within a person.

When to use 湧

湧 is typically used in both formal and informal contexts. Common collocations include 湧出 (yǒngchū, to gush out) and 情感湧現 (qínggǎn yǒngxiàn, emotions welling up). Learners should be cautious with tonal pronunciation; the third tone can be tricky.

湧 or something close to it

涌 (yǒng) vs 冒 (mào) — use 湧 for a sudden and abundant flow, while 冒 is more about rising or emerging, often with less intensity.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 湧 with 泉 (quán), which means spring or fountain. For example, saying '泉水湧出' (quánshuǐ yǒngchū) is incorrect; it should be '湧水湧出' (yǒngshuǐ yǒngchū) to maintain the correct meaning.

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湧

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Word Family of 湧

Words containing this character18
涌chōngto bubble up湧
涌现yǒngxiànto spring up湧現
汹涌xiōngyǒngturbulent洶湧
涌入yǒngrùinflux湧入
喷涌to bubble out噴湧
涌起to well up湧起
涌进to spill湧進
涌泉gushing spring湧泉
风起云涌to grow by leaps and bounds風起雲湧
泉涌to gush泉湧
潮涌to surge like the tide潮湧
波涛汹涌waves surging forth波濤洶涌
翻涌to roll over and over (of billows or clouds)翻湧
涌流to gush湧流
涌浪swell湧浪
云涌in force雲湧
涌溢to well up湧溢
风起潮涌turbulent times風起潮湧
Exercise 1 of 4

Characters with 湧

What does 涌 mean?

Frequently asked questions about 湧

The pronunciation is 'yǒng', with a low falling tone, similar to the sound of a bubbling brook.

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