万有引力 (wàn yǒu yǐn lì) — gravitation; gravity (Newtonian universal gravitation)

Definition

The scientific term for universal gravitation — the attractive force between any two masses (Newton's law). In modern Chinese it is often shortened to 引力 or called 重力 in everyday contexts (e.g., weight).

noun
gravitationgravity (Newtonian universal gravitation)

Examples

  • 万有引力。
    Niú dùn tōng guò píng guǒ luò dì fā xiàn le wàn yǒu yǐn lì.
    Newton discovered universal gravitation through an apple falling to the ground.
  • 万有引力。
    wàn yǒu yǐn lì Dìng lǜ shì jīng diǎn wù lǐ xué de jī chǔ.
    The law of universal gravitation is the foundation of classical physics.
  • 万有引力。
    Liǎng gè wù tǐ zhī jiān de wàn yǒu yǐn lì yǔ jù lí de píng fāng chéng fǎn bǐ.
    The gravitational force between two objects is inversely proportional to the square of the distance.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

万有universal
万wànten thousand有yǒuexistence
偏正Modifier + head
引力attractive force
引yǐnattract力lìforce
偏正Modifier + head

万有 gives the universal sense, and 引力 names the attracting force.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 萬; 万 is its simplified writing.

For 万, the form 萬 was originally a picture of a scorpion, later borrowed for its sound to write 'ten thousand'; the scorpion picture is unrelated to that number.

Open 万 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 弓弓gōngbow
  • 丿丿piěindicatory stroke

引 is made from 弓, a bow, and 丿, a short slant stroke added at the place where the string is pulled, marking the action of drawing or pulling.

Open 引 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

力 is drawn as either an arm bending out from the side of the body or a wooden plough.

Open 力 →

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