Never Give Up in Chinese
The Chinese word for never give up is 永不放弃 (yǒng bù fàng qì). The natural four-character phrase; reads well vertically. In traditional characters it is written 永不放棄.
yǒng bù fàng qì
Never Give Up
What 永不放弃 means.
永不 means “never” and 放弃 means “to give up”, so 永不放弃 reads exactly like the English. It is a common phrase in sport and on motivational banners.
- 永
- forever
- 不
- not
- 放
- to let go
- 弃
- to abandon
Simplified and traditional
永不放弃
永不放棄
Both are correct and mean the same. Traditional 永不放棄 keeps the older, fuller shape that calligraphy grew up with; simplified 永不放弃 is what most Chinese readers use today. Our seal and clerical styles write it in the traditional form.
About never give up in Chinese
How do you write never give up in Chinese?
Never Give Up is 永不放弃 in Chinese, pronounced yǒng bù fàng qì. Never give up 永 means “forever”, 不 means “not”, 放 means “to let go”, 弃 means “to abandon”.
How do you pronounce 永不放弃?
Say yǒng (third tone, dipping), bù (fourth tone, falling), fàng (fourth tone, falling), qì (fourth tone, falling). Mandarin tones change meaning, so it is worth listening to a native speaker once.
Is 永不放弃 different in traditional Chinese?
Yes. The traditional form is 永不放棄, used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and classical calligraphy; 永不放弃 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore. Both are correct.
Is 永不放弃 a good Chinese tattoo?
Yes, it is a real, everyday Chinese word rather than a machine translation, so Chinese readers will understand it. Keep the characters in their order, top to bottom or left to right, and never mirrored. Choose a readable style such as Kaishu, bring a clean reference to your artist, and show it to a fluent reader before your appointment.