What does gung-ho mean?

Definitions for gung-ho
ˈgʌŋˈhoʊgung-ho

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word gung-ho.


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Wikidata

  1. Gung-ho

    Gung ho is a term in American English used to mean "enthusiastic" or "dedicated". Gung ho is an anglicised pronunciation of "gōng hé", which is also sometimes anglicised as "kung ho". Gōng hé is a shortened version and slogan of the "gōngyè hézuòshè" or Chinese Industrial Cooperatives, which was abbreviated as INDUSCO in English. The two Chinese characters "gōng" and "hé" are translated individually as "work" and "together". The linguist Albert Moe studied both the origin and the usage in English. He concludes that the term is an "Americanism that is derived from the Chinese, but its several accepted American meanings have no resemblance whatever to the recognized meaning in the original language" and that its "various linguistic uses, as they have developed in the United States, have been peculiar to American speech." In Chinese, concludes Moe, "this is neither a slogan nor a battle cry; it is only a name for an organization." The term was picked up by United States Marine Corps Major Evans Carlson from his New Zealand friend, Rewi Alley, one of the founders of the Chinese Industrial Cooperatives. Carlson explained in a 1943 interview: "I was trying to build up the same sort of working spirit I had seen in China where all the soldiers dedicated themselves to one idea and worked together to put that idea over. I told the boys about it again and again. I told them of the motto of the Chinese Cooperatives, Gung Ho. It means Work Together-Work in Harmony...."

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of gung-ho in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of gung-ho in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of gung-ho in a Sentence

  1. Whoopi Goldberg:

    So I find it very funny that Boris Johnson’s now very like gung ho and we do n’t have to do it anymore and it's all good.

  2. Sourabh Gupta:

    The leadership is gung-ho dedicated to doing this, the Belt and Road is seen as Xi’s personal project to cement his legacy. And no one is standing in his way.

  3. Marina Pacheco:

    If the woodpecker had managed to hit the weasel with its beak it would have been the end of the weasel, they're quite gung-ho little creatures.

  4. Whoopi Goldberg:

    Boris Johnson’s been in a lot of trouble recently because Boris Johnson was throwing all kinds of parties in the midst of Covid-19 and the omicron, so I find it very funny that Boris Johnson’s now very like gung ho and we do n’t have to do it anymore and it's all good.

  5. Gikas Hardouvelis:

    There are people in Greece who think these people should pay taxes. People in the ministry, they were gung-ho to grab them. I tend to be more liberal because I understand that these people have options.


Translations for gung-ho

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"gung-ho." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Nov. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/gung-ho>.

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    a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease
    A epidemic
    B defiant
    C incumbent
    D proprietary

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