Jiayou 加油

jiāyóu · from Chinese

What does 加油 (jiayou) mean?

加油 (jiāyóu), literally add oil, is a Chinese cheer meaning go for it, keep going, or you can do it.

Shouted at sports events, written before exams and said to friends facing difficulties. Hong Kong English adopted add oil, and the Oxford English Dictionary added it in 2018. Japanese がんばって ganbatte and Korean 화이팅 hwaiting serve similar functions.

Examples

加油！ jiāyóu! (go for it!); 台灣加油 Táiwān jiāyóu (go Taiwan!); Hong Kong English add oil; Cantonese 加油 gaa1 jau4

Kungfucius says: Add oil: because humans, like scooters, run better topped up.