‘鼓掌’ literally means ‘to beat the palm’ — ‘鼓’ (gǔ) originally means ‘to drum’ or ‘to beat rhythmically’, and ‘掌’ (zhǎng) means ‘palm of the hand’. Together, they form a verb meaning ‘to applaud’: striking one’s palms together to express approval, encouragement, or celebration. This action is deeply embedded in Chinese social rituals, from school performances and business presentations to sports events and family gatherings.

The word is almost always used as a verb in the predicate position, often with aspect particles like 了 (le), 过 (guo), or 着 (zhe), or with adverbs like 热烈地 (rèliè de, ‘enthusiastically’) or 纷纷 (fēnfēn, ‘one after another’). It rarely appears as a noun without modification (e.g., 鼓掌声, ‘sound of applause’), and it’s not used for ironic or sarcastic clapping — that requires explicit context or words like 讽刺地鼓掌.