gung-ho

[ guhng-hoh ]

adjective

1. wholeheartedly enthusiastic and loyal; eager; zealous:

   a gung-ho military outfit.

adverb

1. in a successful manner:

   The business is going gung-ho.

gung ho

/ ɡʌŋ həʊ /

adjective

1. extremely enthusiastic and enterprising, sometimes to excess
2. extremely keen to participate in military combat

gung-ho

1. Extremely enthusiastic or zealous: “He was gung-ho about going on a vacation to the beach.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of gung-ho¹

Introduced as a training slogan in 1942 by U.S. Marine officer Evans F. Carlson (1896–1947), from Chinese gōng hé, the abbreviated name of the Chinese Industrial Cooperative Society, taken by a literal translation as “work together”

Word History and Origins

Origin of gung-ho¹

C20: pidgin English, from Mandarin Chinese kung work + ho together

Idioms and Phrases

Also, gung-ho . Extremely enthusiastic or dedicated, as in She was gung ho about her new job . This expression was introduced in 1942 as a training slogan for a U.S. Marine battalion, derived from what an American officer thought were Mandarin Chinese words for “work together.” It was actually an abbreviation for the name of Chinese industrial cooperatives.

Example Sentences

They’re open to dealmaking with Democrats under the right conditions and aren’t recklessly gung-ho about threatening government shutdowns or debt defaults.

From Slate

But moments later, he tries to thread the needle and reassure anyone who may have been put off by the gung-ho rhetoric: “We also created a restorative justice model.”

From Los Angeles Times

Liam's prediction: I've heard Ipswich are quite gung-ho and a good watch, but I don't know how that will work out for them in the Premier League.

From BBC

Apparently, the civilian pukes in Washington lacked the general’s gung-ho confidence that with just a little more door-kicking and pyrotechnics, Afghanistan would be pacified — something that hadn’t happened since the Mongol invasions.

From Salon

Two decades ago, Jonathan Chait was one of those muscular New Republic liberals who was gung-ho on invading Iraq.

From Salon