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Today it means

gung ho

extremely enthusiastic and eager, especially about a cause or task

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Where does the word "gung ho" come from? It comes from Chinese gonghe, and was adopted directly into English (1940s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "gung ho" come from? It comes from Chinese gonghe, and was adopted directly into English (1940s).

Gung ho’s story begins in Chinese: gonghe meant “work together.” Meaning "to work together", a slogan of Chinese industrial cooperatives. It reached English by 1940s as gung ho. From Chinese industrial cooperatives' slogan 'gōnghé', work together, adopted by Evans Carlson's Marine Raiders. Today, gung ho means extremely enthusiastic and eager, especially about a cause or task.

  1. Stage 1 · Chinese · 1900s gonghe "work together", meaning "to work together", a slogan of Chinese industrial cooperatives.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1940s gung ho "extremely enthusiastic and dedicated", from Chinese industrial cooperatives' slogan 'gōnghé', work together, adopted by Evans Carlson's Marine Raiders.

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