The Chinese Radical: 力


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Meaning
power, force    力

Explanation A variations is: to act 办.

Used in these characters:
男
JLPT HSK 2
male, man
nán
男 田 力
Top: rice field 田, bottom: power 力
In the rice field you need the power of a man.  
助
JLPT HSK 2
to help, to assist
zhù
且 力
Left: in further, moreover 且 (A pile of stones [= a stone cairn] where moreover stones are added.), right: power 力
Further power helps!  
动
JLPT HSK 2
to move, to act, to use
dòng
云 力
Left: cloud, to speak 云 (They can be arranged in layers 二 and form vortices/eddies 厶: clouds.), right: force 力
Not only clouds move, but also with force you can make things move.  
别
JLPT HSK 2
to separate, to distinguish, to leave, to classify, do to not
bié, biè
另 口 力 刂
Left: another 另 (If it doesn't work with words 口, you have to try it with force 力: That's sth. different.), right: knife 刂
When you work on something 口 with force or a knife, you are separating.  
务
JLPT HSK 2
affair, business, matter
wù
夂 力
Top: crossed legs 夂, bottom: force, power 力
He sits cross-legged but engages with force in: his affairs.  
为
JLPT HSK 2
to behave as, to act as, to serve as
wéi, wèi
丶 力
Power/force 力 and twice emphasis丶
With strongly emphasized power, that's how I behave/act.  
边
JLPT HSK 2
side, edge, margin, border, simultaneously
biān
辶 力
Left: movement 辶, right: power 力
When sb. moves (pushes) with force, it's best to step aside.  
力
JLPT HSK 3
power, force, strength, ability
lì
力
A hand or arm with an extra stroke ノ for the strength of the biceps
With a strengthened arm you have power.  
办
JLPT HSK 3
to deal with, to manage, to handle, to set up
bàn
办 力
Power 力 with supports 丶 on both sides (The supports can also be understood as a double-sided sharp blade, according to the traditional: 辦)
When the power is supported from both sides, then it is dealt with. (be managed)  
加
JLPT HSK 3
to add, plus, Canada 加拿大
jiā
加 力 口
Left: power 力, right: mouth 口
(It is meant: to eat) For (getting) power your mouth needs sth. to be 'added'.  
努
JLPT HSK 3
to strive, to make an effort, to exert
nǔ
奴 力
Top: slave 奴 (Women's 女 hands 又 work like slaves.), bottom: strength 力
With "slave-like" strength you: strive.  
历
JLPT HSK 3
to pass through, history, calendar
lì
厂 力
Outside: cliff 厂, inside: power 力
The cliff was piled up with force: This is the past and has entered into history.  
另
JLPT HSK 4
other, another, separate, separately
lìng
另 口 力
Top: mouth 口, bottom: force 力
If it doesn't work with 口 (= mouth), you have to try it with force 力: That's an other thing.  
勇
JLPT HSK 4
brave, courage, righteous
yǒng
甬 力 マ 男
Top: 甬 (bent person マ, use 用), below: force 力, better bottom: man 男 (In the rice field 田, the strength 力 is male.)
If the bent person マ is a (real) man, then it's because he is brave.  
穷
JLPT HSK 4
poor, exhausted
qióng
穴 力
Top: cave, hole 穴 (It is covered 宀 and a narrowing path 八 leads into the cave.), below: strength 力
If you have a hole in your strength (= possibilities) you are poor.  
励
JLPT HSK 4
to encourage, to urge
lì
厂 力 万
Left: strict, severe 厉 (At the cliff 厂 the 10,000 万 Gods are strict), right: strength 力
Strictly, a cliff with tenthousandfold strength to encourage.  
伤
JLPT HSK 4
to injure, injury, wound
shāng
亻 力
Left: person 亻, right: person lying down as a variant of 人, force 力
If you make a person into a lying person by means of force, you have probably injured him.  
功
JLPT HSK 4
achievement, meritorious, result, accomplishment
gōng
工 力
Left: craftsman 工, right: strength/effort 力
A craftsman with strength fulfills: achievements.  
劲
JLPT HSK 5
energy, strength, enthusiasm, sturdy
jìn, jìng
圣 力
Left: vertical 圣 (A hand 又 vertically above the ground 土), right: force 力
(Think of gravity, thus lifting a load:) The vertical force is full of energy.  
劝
JLPT HSK 5
to advise, to urge, persuade, to exhort
quàn
又 力
Left: hand 又, right: force 力
With your hand and force you can 'advise'.  
勤
JLPT HSK 5
diligent, industrious, hardworking, regular
qín
堇 丰 力
Left: blooming plant 堇 (from top: plant 艹, blossoms 口, growing plant ), right: strength/force 力
Blooming plants give me strength to work diligent and hard.  
幼
JLPT HSK 5
infant, young, immature, childish, naive
yòu
幺 力
Left: short thread 幺/糸 right: strength 力
A short thread with the strength of an infant.  
雾
JLPT HSK 5
fog, mist
wù
雨 夂 力
Top: rain 雨, bottom: affair, business 务 (He sits cross-legged 夂, but he handles with force 力 his: affairs)
Rain is an affair connected with: fog or mist.  
劣
JLPT HSK 5
inferior, clumsy, low-grade
liè
少 力
Top: small/little 少 (A small 小 stroke ノ is too few.), below: strength 力
Too little strength makes you inferior.  
势
JLPT HSK 5
power, influence, potential, conditions, gesture
shì
执 力 丸
Top: grasp, seize 执 (If you get your hand 扌to that small bead 丸 you grasp it) [bead, pill 丸 = A 'nine' 九 needs an additional stroke 丶 to become round like a pill.], bottom: power 力
Grasping with power means power and influence.  
拐
JLPT HSK 5
to kidnap/to shanghai, to turn, crutch, cane
guǎi
扌 另 口 力
Left: hand 扌, right: another 另 (If it doesn't work with words 口, you have to try it with force 力: That's sth. different.)
I feel a hand 扌 over my mouth 口 and a force 力 - I am kidnapped!  
劳
JLPT HSK 5
to struggle, toil, work, become exhausted
láo
艹 冖 力
From above: growing plant 艹, cover 冖 (here: top layer), strength 力
(Reclaiming the land:) To transform the growing plants into a flat top layer requires strength and that: you struggle.  
劫
JLPT HSK 6
to rob, to plunder, to coerce, calamity
jié
力 去
Left: to leave 去 (Below ground 土 is the nose 厶, which has left.), right: strength/force 力
If you are left by your strength, you will be robbed or plundered.  
勃
JLPT HSK 6
flourishing, vigorous, prosperous, suddenly
bó
力 子
Left: 孛 Combination of ten 十 and character, symbol 字, right: strength 力
Ten symbols of his strength are flourishing suddenly.  
勉
JLPT HSK 6
strive hard, to make an effort, exhort
miǎn
免 力
Left: avoid, escape 免 (an escaping rabbit 兔: long ears ⺈, big eyes 罒, legs 儿, but without tail 丶), right: strength 力
Escape by using strength means: to strive hard.  
伪
JLPT HSK 6
false, fake, forged, bogus
wěi
亻 力
Left: person 亻, right: to act/behave as 为 (A very strongly emphasized force acts as such.)
A person who acts with double-emphasized force is false!  
筋
JLPT HSK 6
muscle, tendon
jīn
竹 肉 力
Top: bamboo 竹, below: ribs 肋 (= The body's part 月/肉 that resists with force 力 (against pressure) are the ribs.)
They are like bamboo('s fiber) are the body gets its strength by the: muscles and tendons.  
虏
JLPT HSK 6
to capture, prisoner of war, to take prisoner
lǔ
虍 力
Top: tiger 虍, bottom: force 力
If a tiger does not kill, but wants to have powers (for captive or slave labor), he: captures.  
捞
JLPT HSK 6
to fish up, to dredge up
lāo
扌 力
Left: hand 扌, right: to struggle 劳 (To transform the growing plants 艹 into a flat top layer 冖 requires strength 力 and a struggle.)
By hand, it is a struggle to fish up sth.  
勘
JLPT HSK 6
to investigate, to survey, to collate
kān
力 甚 匹
Left: extreme/excessive 甚 (A grain shovel 其 with an extra angle is extraordinary.), right: strength/effort 力
Make extreme efforts in your investigations.  
抛
JLPT HSK 6
to throw, toss, fling, cast, abandon
pāo
扌 九 力
From left: hand 扌, variation of nine 九, force 力
In the hand you need nine-fold force for throwing.  
唠
JLPT HSK 6
to chatter, gossip, nag
láo
口 艹 冖 力
Left: mouth 口, right: to struggle 劳 (To transform the growing plants 艹 into a flat top layer 冖 requires strength 力 and that you struggle.)
For the mouth it is a struggle to chatter.  
肋
JLPT no HSK
rib
lèi
肉 力
Left: body part 月/肉, right: power, force 力
(Otherwise the intestines would be very soft.) The body-part that resists with force (against pressure) are the ribs.  
勒
JLPT no HSK
rein in, to choke, to throttle, to strangle
lè, lēi
革 力
Left: leather 革 (Horned 廿 animals 干 have a skin 口 of leather), right: force 力
For horned animals 革 you need force to rein them. OR: With leather and force you can rein.  
掳
JLPT no HSK
to capture, to seize
lǔ
扌 虍 力
Left: hand 扌, right: capture, seize 虏 (If a tiger 虍 does not kill, but wants to have powers 力 (for captive or slave labor), he: captures.)
The hand: captures.  
黝
JLPT no HSK
black, dark green
yǒu
黑 幺 力
Left: black 黑 (The underside of the cooking pot 里 is stained by fire 灬 black.), right: infant 幼 (A thread 幺/糸 with the strength 力 of an infant.)
The 'black' you gain from threads (= fibers) using force is: a dark green.  
锄
JLPT no HSK
a hoe, to hoe or dig, to weed, get rid of
chú
金 且 力
Left: metal 钅/金, right: help, support, help 助 (Further 且 power 力 helps.)
The metal, that helps, is the: hoe.  
雳
JLPT no HSK
clap of thunder
lì
雨 厂 力
Top: rain 雨 (= window 冂 with cloud 一 and drops 丶丶), bottom: to pass through, history 历 (The cliff 厂 was piled up with force 力: This is the past and has entered into history)
In the rain it is like a cliff of power: the clap of thunder.  
劾
JLPT no HSK
to accuse of misconduct, impeach
hé
亠 亥 力
Left: (zodiac) pig 亥 (head 亠, fat body ノノ small tail 丶, cf. 豚), right: strength 力
It was the pig and did it with force and was accused for this crime.  
沥
JLPT no HSK
to drip, to strain or filter, a trickle
lì
氵 厂 力
Left: water 氵, right: past, calendar 历 (The cliff 厂 was piled up with force 力: This is the past and has entered into history)
(The bucket is leaking:) If the water has passed, it has dripped out.  
拗
JLPT no HSK
break in two, to defy, disobey, stubborn, obstinate
ào, ǎo, niù
扌 幺 力
Left: hand 扌, right: infant 幼 (A short thread 幺/糸 with the strength 力 of an infant.)
The hand of an infant: breaks things.  
饬
JLPT no HSK
to order, to direct, keep in order
chì
食 力
Left: food 饣/食 (Below the cover is good 良 food.), right: lying person , force 力
(In the case of hypoglycemia, you only need a little to regain your strength immediately) With food the lying person gets strength: as if on order.  
渤
JLPT no HSK
Bohai Sea 渤海 (coast close to Beijing)
bó
氵 力
Left: water 氵, right: flourishing, prosperous 勃 (Ten 十 symbols 字 of his strength 力 are flourishing suddenly.)
The water is prosperous: at the Bohai Sea.  
荔
JLPT no HSK
litchi
lì
艹 力
Top: plant 艹, bottom: 劦 (3x force 力)
The plant with the triple power is the: litchi.  
勋
JLPT no HSK
medal, merit
xūn
员 力
Left: member 员/員 (= Who has a mouth 口 and money 贝 can become a member), right: power, force 力
The member gets for his power a medal.  
募
JLPT no HSK
to enlist, to recruit, to collect, to raise
mù
莫 力
Top: negative, sink, sunset 莫 (The plants 艹 are made by the sun 日 to be large 大 [= as long shadows] at sunset.), bottom: strength, force 力
With declining forces, (new troops) need to be recruited.  

Radicals are shown here that are similar either in appearance or meaning.

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