How to Write 勉 (miǎn) — Meaning “Encourage; strive”

Imagine a person who wants to avoid (免) work, but uses their strength (力) to push themselves anyway — that person is striving. Picture the 免 shape as a person bending down, and 力 as a muscle arm lifting them up.

Write the left part 免 first: start with the top hook, then a horizontal, two verticals, a long horizontal, and finish with a dot. Then add 力 on the right, making a hook stroke. A common mistake is making the left side too wide or forgetting the dot in 免.

助 (zhù) has 且 (qiě) on the left, meaning 'help', and 力, so it means 'assist' — not 'strive'. 努 (nǔ) has 奴 (nú, 'slave') on the left, meaning 'exert', so it focuses on putting in great effort. 勉 uses 免 (avoid) and emphasizes encouragement to overcome reluctance.

勉 appears in words like 勉强 (miǎn qiǎng, 'reluctant' or 'barely enough'), 勉励 (miǎn lì, 'to encourage'), and 勤勉 (qín miǎn, 'diligent'). It is often used in formal or written contexts, such as in school mottoes or self-improvement phrases like 共勉 (gòng miǎn, 'mutual encouragement').

Common words containing 勉 include: 勉强 (miǎn qiǎng) — reluctant; to force; barely enough; 勉励 (miǎn lì) — Encourage; urge; 勤勉 (qín miǎn) — diligent.