tuīguǎng: 推广 - To Promote, To Popularize, To Spread
Quick Summary
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Summary: Learn the essential Chinese term 推广 (tuīguǎng), meaning “to promote,” “popularize,” or “spread.” This versatile verb is crucial for understanding modern China, from business marketing and tech startups promoting a new app, to government initiatives popularizing a new policy. This guide breaks down its meaning, cultural significance, and practical use with many example sentences, helping you master a word you'll see everywhere.
Core Meaning
Pinyin (with tone marks): tuīguǎng
Part of Speech: Verb (can also function as a noun)
HSK Level: HSK 5
Concise Definition: To actively promote, popularize, or extend the reach and application of something.
In a Nutshell:推广 (tuīguǎng) is about the strategic effort to make something bigger, more well-known, and more widely used. Think of it as the engine of growth. It's not just “advertising”; it's the entire process of pushing a product, an idea, or a method out to a wider audience to increase its adoption. Whether it's a company launching a marketing campaign or the government encouraging a new recycling program, the goal is widespread acceptance and use.
Character Breakdown
推 (tuī): To push. This character features the “hand” radical (扌) on the left, vividly depicting the action of pushing something forward.
广 (guǎng): Wide, broad, extensive. This character originally depicted a large shelter or hall, implying a wide, covered space.
Together, 推广 (tuīguǎng) literally means “to push wide.” This creates a powerful and intuitive image: you are actively pushing an idea or product so that it spreads across a wide area or among a large group of people.
Cultural Context and Significance
In modern China, 推广 (tuīguǎng) is a cornerstone concept reflecting the country's proactive, goal-oriented approach to development. From the central government down to the smallest startup, there is a constant drive to implement, scale, and popularize new things efficiently and on a massive scale. The government might 推广 (tuīguǎng) the use of Mandarin (`推广普通话`), a new environmental policy, or a health initiative. A tech company's survival depends on its ability to 推广 (tuīguǎng) its app to millions of users.
Comparison to “Marketing”: While 推广 (tuīguǎng) is often translated as “marketing” or “promotion,” it has a slightly different flavor. “Marketing” in the West can sometimes feel focused on creating desire or a brand image. 推广 (tuīguǎng), while it includes this, is often more pragmatic and focused on adoption and application. It's about getting people to use the thing—be it a new fertilizer, a new piece of software, or a new payment system. It feels less like “persuasion” and more like “rollout” or “popularization.” The term is used just as comfortably for a social good as it is for a commercial product, which is not always the case for “marketing.”
Practical Usage in Modern China
推广 (tuīguǎng) is an extremely common word in professional and official contexts.
In Business and Marketing: This is the most frequent usage. It's the go-to term for all promotional activities.
`做推广 (zuò tuīguǎng)` - To do promotion (often used as a job title or function)
In Technology and Social Media: The tech world is obsessed with 推广. It's how apps go viral and platforms gain users.
`我们得想个办法推广我们的新App。` (We need to figure out a way to promote our new app.)
Influencers, or `网红 (wǎnghóng)`, are a key channel for product 推广.
In Government and Policy: The government uses this term to talk about rolling out new policies, standards, or social campaigns. The tone is official and implies a large-scale, organized effort.
`政府正在全国推广垃圾分类。` (The government is promoting waste sorting across the country.)
English: Promoting through social media is one of the most effective methods right now.
Analysis: This sentence summarizes the reality of modern marketing in China.
Nuances and Common Mistakes
`推广 (tuīguǎng)` vs. `宣传 (xuānchuán)`
This is a critical distinction. `宣传 (xuānchuán)` means “to publicize” or “to propagate.” It often focuses on disseminating information or a message and can carry a strong connotation of propaganda, especially when used by the state. `推广 (tuīguǎng)` is more neutral and action-oriented, focused on increasing use and adoption.
Example:
Use `推广` for marketing: `我们正在推广这个新品牌。` (We are promoting this new brand.) → This is standard business-speak.
`宣传` can sound like propaganda: `我们正在宣传这个新品牌。` (We are publicizing/propagandizing this new brand.) → This sounds a bit strange and overly formal, as if it's a state-run company announcing a national brand.
False Friend: Job Promotion
A very common mistake for English speakers is to use 推广 (tuīguǎng) for a job promotion. 推广 (tuīguǎng) is for products, ideas, and methods, NOT for people's careers.
Incorrect: `他因为工作努力，被公司推广了。` (He was promoted by the company because of his hard work.)
Correct: `他因为工作努力，被公司提升了。` (Tā yīnwèi gōngzuò nǔlì, bèi gōngsī tíshēng le.) or `…被晋升为经理了` (…bèi jìnshēng wéi jīnglǐ le). Use `提升 (tíshēng)` or `晋升 (jìnshēng)` for job promotions.
Related Terms and Concepts
`宣传 (xuānchuán)` - To publicize, propagate. Often more focused on spreading a message or ideology, sometimes with a propaganda-like feel.
`营销 (yíngxiāo)` - Marketing. A broader, more strategic business term that encompasses all aspects of bringing a product to market, including research, pricing, and sales channels. 推广 is a key part of 营销.
`广告 (guǎnggào)` - Advertisement. A specific tool or method used to achieve 推广.
`普及 (pǔjí)` - To popularize, to make universal. Similar to 推广, but often emphasizes the end result of something becoming commonplace, especially for knowledge or education (e.g., `普及九年义务教育` - popularizing nine-year compulsory education).
`推销 (tuīxiāo)` - To sell, to hawk, to push sales. This is the “hard sell.” It's much more direct and sales-focused than 推广, often involving one-on-one selling.
`提升 (tíshēng)` - To promote (a person), to elevate, to enhance. The correct term for a job promotion.
`引流 (yǐnliú)` - Literally “to guide a stream.” A modern marketing buzzword meaning to drive (internet) traffic to a website or app. It's a very specific type of digital 推广.
`KOL (关键意见领袖 guānjiàn yìjiàn lǐngxiù)` - Key Opinion Leader. An influencer. KOLs are a central part of modern 推广 strategies in China.