力
부수: 力
획수: 2획
力 has the meanings of ‘strength’, ‘power’, ‘force’ and ‘ability’.
力 = 力
X = semantic
• 力 likely originally depicted a plough and from this comes the meanings ‘strength’, ‘force’ and ‘ability’.
Contrary to this interpretation, some scholars interpret the historical forms as depicting an arm and hand.
Evolution:
力 = ’a plough’ ➔ ’strength’ ➔ ’force’
力 = ’a plough’ ➔ ’strength’ ➔ ’ability’
Mnemonic
Looking at the historical forms, 力 is the end of a plough with the handle missing. Imagine the head of a shovel making contact with the dirt. It takes a lot of strength to work in the fields all day.
Vocab
| 勞力 | 노력 | endeavor; exertion; labour |
| 强力 | 강력 | strong; powerful |
| 權力 | 권력 | power; authority |
| 體力 | 체력 | physical strength |
| 暴力 | 폭력 | violence |
| 武力 | 무력 | military force |
| 重力 | 중력 | gravity |
| 壓力 | 압력 | pressure |
| 入力 | 입력 | entry; input (data) |
| 能力 | 능력 | ability; capability; competence |
| 實力 | 실력 | real ability; talent |
| 力量 | 역량 | competence; capability |
| 魅力 | 매력 | charm; attractiveness |
| 視力 | 시력 | eyesight |
| 想像力 | 상상력 | imagination; imaginative |
Other resources
Image searches
Google
Bing
Yahoo Japan
Baidu (click 图片)
Sogou
Pinterest
Flickr
CJKV
CJKV Dict
Wikitionary
Unihan Database
Korean
Chinese
Written Chinese
Arch Chinese
ZDic
CC-Canto
Chinese Text Project
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (etymology)
Chinese Boost
Japanese
Takoboto
Jisho
JLearn.net
Sakura
The Kanji Map
Sentence Search
Immersion Kit
Vietnamese
Bibliography
Affiliate links help support uK.
— Grant, B.K. (1982). A Guide To Korean Characters: Reading and Writing Hangul and Hanja, [s.v. 13]. Seoul: Hollym.
— Henshall, K.G. (1998). A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters, [s.v. 74]. Singapore: Tuttle Publishing.
— Outlier Dictionary of Chinese Characters, [s.v. 力].
— Seely, C., Henshall, K.G., & Fan, J. (2016). The Complete Guide to Japanese Kanji: Remembering and Understanding the 2,136 Standard Japanese Characters, [s.v. 78]. Singapore: Tuttle Publishing.