---
title: "Guwu Meaning: 鼓舞 (to inspire) or 谷物 (grain)?"
description: "鼓舞 (gǔwǔ) means “to inspire; to encourage; heartening; inspiring”. Not the guwu you heard? See 谷物. Hear its tones, see what 鼓 and 舞 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/guwu"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 鼓舞 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

鼓舞 gǔwǔ

## to inspire; to encourage; heartening; inspiring

## Its characters

1. 鼓 gǔ to rouse
2. 舞 wǔ to dance

## In a sentence

老师的话鼓舞了我们。 The teacher's words inspired us.

[More about 鼓舞](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E9%BC%93%E8%88%9E)

## Other words said guwu

- [谷物gǔwùgrain](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E8%B0%B7%E7%89%A9)

## More words with 鼓 or 舞

- [鼓励 gǔlì](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/guli)
- [跳舞 tiàowǔ](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/tiaowu)
- [舞蹈 wǔdǎo](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/wudao)
- [舞台 wǔtái](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/wutai)

## Keep 鼓舞 for Review

A free account keeps it, and Review brings it back just before you’d forget it.

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[How it compares with Zhongwen](https://mandarinthewild.com/compare/zhongwen)