加油 jiā yóu
“Add oil!” — the cheer heard at every exam, game, and Monday.
The short answer
EverydayNow commonChecked November 2026
加油 literally means “add oil” — as in refueling an engine. It is the all-purpose Chinese cheer: Go! Come on! You've got this! Keep at it!
In a chat
- 琦琦 Qiqi
明天我第一次用中文做报告，好紧张。
Tomorrow I give my first talk in Chinese. I'm so nervous.
- 灯灯 Dengdeng
你准备得很好，加油！
You've prepared well. You've got this!
- 亮亮 Liangliang
加油加油！结束了请你喝奶茶。
Go, go! Bubble tea is on me after.
In the Dengdeng app, Dengdeng and his friends text you in Chinese every day, at your level.
How to reply
谢谢，我会加油的！
Thanks, I'll do my best!
When not to use it
- 加油 asks for more effort. After a serious loss, such as a death in the family or an illness, it can sound cold. Say 我在 (I'm here for you) instead. After a failed exam, 下次加油 (you'll get it next time) is fine.
What it means
English splits the job among “come on”, “go”, “keep it up”, “you can do it”, and “good luck”. Chinese sends one phrase to do them all. 加油 works at marathons and exam halls, in toasts and hospital corridors, and — most often — to oneself, muttered at the third coffee.
It is encouragement without promise: no claim that you will win, only that you should keep the tank full.
How people use it
Use it alone as a shout, or with a target: 考试加油！ “good luck on the exam”; 中国队加油！ “go, Team China!” The reply is usually another 加油 — the verbal equivalent of a fist bump.
You will also see it on banners at sports events and on cards before exams.
Where it comes from
The image behind the phrase is mechanical: an engine needs oil added to keep running. Where the cheer started is not certain. One account traces it to the Macau Grand Prix in the 1960s, where fans shouted at drivers to step on the gas. Another links it to the Portuguese cheer dá-lhe gás.
Its English calque made lexicographic history: in 2018 the Oxford English Dictionary added “add oil” as a Hong Kong English expression of encouragement.
In use
2 examples明天面试，加油！
Interview tomorrow — you've got this!
快到终点了，加油！
Almost at the finish line — go, go!
The characters
Explore individuallyIndividual character meanings do not always explain the meaning of the whole word.
Sources
This guide is original Dengdeng editorial content, offered under CC BY-SA 4.0. The linked dictionary entries adapt CC-CEDICT under the same license.