yǎngwòqǐzuò: 仰卧起坐 - Sit-up, Crunch [The Contextual Chinese Dictionary]

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====== yǎngwòqǐzuò: 仰卧起坐 - Sit-up, Crunch ======
===== Quick Summary =====
  * **Keywords:** yǎngwòqǐzuò, 仰卧起坐, how to say sit-up in Chinese, sit-ups in Mandarin, Chinese exercise terms, abdominal exercises Chinese, Chinese fitness vocabulary, yǎng wò qǐ zuò.
  * **Summary:** Learn how to say "sit-up" in Chinese with the term **仰卧起坐 (yǎngwòqǐzuò)**. This page breaks down the characters of this literal and descriptive word for the common abdominal exercise. Discover its practical use in modern Chinese fitness culture, gym vocabulary, and its important role in school physical education (P.E.) classes. With 10 practical example sentences, you'll learn how to talk about your workout routine in Mandarin Chinese.
===== Core Meaning =====
  * **Pinyin (with tone marks):** yǎng wò qǐ zuò
  * **Part of Speech:** Noun / Verb Phrase
  * **HSK Level:** N/A (Commonly used vocabulary)
  * **Concise Definition:** The physical exercise of a sit-up or crunch.
  * **In a Nutshell:** **仰卧起坐 (yǎngwòqǐzuò)** is the standard and most direct term for a "sit-up" in Mandarin. It's a highly logical and descriptive word, literally meaning "to lie on one's back and rise to a sitting position." It's used everywhere, from P.E. classes and military training to modern gyms and home workouts.
===== Character Breakdown =====
  * **仰 (yǎng):** To face upward; to look up.
  * **卧 (wò):** To lie down (often used for lying down to sleep or rest).
  * **起 (qǐ):** To rise; to get up.
  * **坐 (zuò):** To sit.
The word is a perfect combination of these actions. The first two characters, **仰卧 (yǎngwò)**, mean "to lie on one's back" (supine). The second two characters, **起坐 (qǐzuò)**, mean "to rise and sit." Together, they paint a complete and accurate picture of the exercise.
===== Cultural Context and Significance =====
Unlike terms rooted in ancient philosophy, **仰卧起坐** is a modern, functional word. Its cultural significance lies in its role within China's emphasis on physical education and fitness standards.
For decades, the **仰卧起坐** has been a core component of the national //Physical Fitness Test// (体质测试, tǐzhì cèshì) for students from primary school through university. The ability to perform a certain number of sit-ups in a minute is a standardized metric of a student's physical health, and test results can be a serious matter.
In the West, while sit-ups are a common exercise, they are rarely part of a mandatory, nationwide standardized test that affects a student's overall evaluation. In China, performance in **体育 (tǐyù - P.E.)**, including exercises like sit-ups and running, is often seen as a reflection of discipline and well-roundedness, tying into a broader cultural value of perseverance and meeting set standards.
With the recent fitness boom in China, **仰卧起坐** has also become a staple term in the vocabulary of gym-goers (健身爱好者, jiànshēn àihàozhě) who are focused on building a "six-pack" (六块腹肌, liù kuài fùjī).
===== Practical Usage in Modern China =====
**仰卧起坐** is most often used as a noun. The most common pattern is to use the verb **做 (zuò)**, meaning "to do."
  * **Structure:** `做 + [Number] + 个 + 仰卧起坐` (zuò + [Number] + gè + yǎngwòqǐzuò)
  * **Example:** `做五十个仰卧起坐` (zuò wǔshí gè yǎngwòqǐzuò) - To do 50 sit-ups.
It is considered a neutral term, used in all contexts from formal physical assessments to casual conversations about exercise.
===== Example Sentences =====
  * **Example 1:**
    * 我每天晚上都会做一百个**仰卧起坐**。
    * Pinyin: Wǒ měitiān wǎnshàng dōu huì zuò yìbǎi gè **yǎngwòqǐzuò**.
    * English: I do 100 sit-ups every evening.
    * Analysis: A simple, common sentence for describing a personal fitness routine. The structure `做 + [Number] + 个 + 仰卧起坐` is used here.
  * **Example 2:**
    * 你一分钟能做多少个**仰卧起坐**？
    * Pinyin: Nǐ yī fēnzhōng néng zuò duōshǎo gè **yǎngwòqǐzuò**?
    * English: How many sit-ups can you do in one minute?
    * Analysis: A typical question asked during a fitness test or between friends comparing their abilities.
  * **Example 3:**
    * 体育课上，老师让我们练习**仰卧起坐**。
    * Pinyin: Tǐyùkè shàng, lǎoshī ràng wǒmen liànxí **yǎngwòqǐzuò**.
    * English: In P.E. class, the teacher had us practice sit-ups.
    * Analysis: This sentence places the term directly in the common context of school physical education.
  * **Example 4:**
    * 做**仰卧起坐**对锻炼腹肌很有帮助。
    * Pinyin: Zuò **yǎngwòqǐzuò** duì duànliàn fùjī hěn yǒu bāngzhù.
    * English: Doing sit-ups is very helpful for training your abdominal muscles.
    * Analysis: This sentence explains the purpose or benefit of the exercise. `对...有帮助` (duì...yǒu bāngzhù) is a useful pattern for "is helpful for...".
  * **Example 5:**
    * 我的腰不好，医生不建议我做**仰卧起坐**。
    * Pinyin: Wǒ de yāo bù hǎo, yīshēng bù jiànyì wǒ zuò **yǎngwòqǐzuò**.
    * English: My back is not good, so the doctor doesn't recommend that I do sit-ups.
    * Analysis: Shows a negative use case, in the context of health and medical advice.
  * **Example 6:**
    * 为了减肥，她下定决心每天坚持做**仰卧起坐**。
    * Pinyin: Wèile jiǎnféi, tā xiàdìng juéxīn měitiān jiānchí zuò **yǎngwòqǐzuò**.
    * English: In order to lose weight, she became determined to persist in doing sit-ups every day.
    * Analysis: Connects the exercise to a common fitness goal, using the verb `坚持 (jiānchí)`, which means "to persist" or "to stick with."
  * **Example 7:**
    * 他**仰卧起坐**做得又快又标准。
    * Pinyin: Tā **yǎngwòqǐzuò** zuò de yòu kuài yòu biāozhǔn.
    * English: He does sit-ups both quickly and with standard form.
    * Analysis: This demonstrates how to describe the quality of an action. The pattern `[Verb Phrase] + 做得 + [Adjective]` is used here to comment on his performance.
  * **Example 8:**
    * 今天的健身计划包括三组**仰卧起坐**，每组二十个。
    * Pinyin: Jīntiān de jiànshēn jìhuà bāokuò sān zǔ **yǎngwòqǐzuò**, měi zǔ èrshí gè.
    * English: Today's workout plan includes three sets of sit-ups, with twenty reps per set.
    * Analysis: This introduces useful gym vocabulary: `组 (zǔ)` for "set" and `个 (gè)` for "rep."
  * **Example 9:**
    * 我觉得**仰卧起坐**比俯卧撑难多了。
    * Pinyin: Wǒ juéde **yǎngwòqǐzuò** bǐ fǔwòchēng nán duō le.
    * English: I think sit-ups are much harder than push-ups.
    * Analysis: Uses the `比 (bǐ)` comparison structure to compare two different exercises.
  * **Example 10:**
    * 刚开始，我一个**仰卧起坐**也做不了，现在可以轻松做三十个了。
    * Pinyin: Gāng kāishǐ, wǒ yíge **yǎngwòqǐzuò** yě zuòbuliǎo, xiànzài kěyǐ qīngsōng zuò sānshí gè le.
    * English: At the very beginning, I couldn't even do one sit-up, but now I can easily do thirty.
    * Analysis: A great sentence showing progression. `一个...也...不/没` (yíge...yě...bù/méi) is a common pattern to emphasize "not even one."
===== Nuances and Common Mistakes =====
  * **Common Mistake: Using it as a transitive verb.**
    * A learner might try to say: `我仰卧起坐我的肚子` (Wǒ yǎngwòqǐzuò wǒ de dùzi). This is incorrect.
    * **Correction:** The standard way to express this is `我做仰卧起坐来锻炼我的肚子` (Wǒ zuò yǎngwòqǐzuò lái duànliàn wǒ de dùzi - I do sit-ups to exercise my stomach). Always remember to use **做 (zuò)** as the main verb.
  * **Nuance: Sit-up vs. Crunch.**
    * In English, a "sit-up" (a full range of motion) is different from a "crunch" (a smaller motion). In everyday Chinese, **仰卧起坐 (yǎngwòqǐzuò)** is used as a blanket term for both.
    * For fitness experts or in a gym setting, a more specific term for "crunch" is **卷腹 (juǎnfù)**, which literally means "to curl the abdomen." For a beginner, sticking with **仰卧起坐** is perfectly fine and universally understood.
===== Related Terms and Concepts =====
  * **[[俯卧撑]] (fǔwòchēng)** - Push-up. (Literally "prostrate-lying-push")
  * **[[平板支撑]] (píngbǎn zhīchēng)** - Plank. (Literally "flat-board-support")
  * **[[深蹲]] (shēndūn)** - Squat. (Literally "deep-squat")
  * **[[引体向上]] (yǐntǐxiàngshàng)** - Pull-up. (Literally "pull-body-upward")
  * **[[锻炼]] (duànliàn)** - A general verb for "to exercise" or "to work out."
  * **[[健身]] (jiànshēn)** - Fitness; to work out (often implies going to a gym).
  * **[[腹肌]] (fùjī)** - Abdominal muscles, "abs."
  * **[[体育课]] (tǐyù kè)** - Physical Education (P.E.) class.
  * **[[卷腹]] (juǎnfù)** - Crunch. A more specific term for the exercise, less common in daily conversation but used by fitness enthusiasts.
  * **[[热身]] (rèshēn)** - To warm up (before exercise). (Literally "to heat the body")