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人力 (rén lì) — manpower; labor power

Definition

人力 is manpower viewed as a resource — the labor power a company or project needs (e.g. 人力资源). 人工 also means 'manpower' but more often means 'artificial/man-made'; 劳动力 is the broader labor force of a society.

noun
manpowerlabor power
Easily confused

Examples

  • 人力。
    Zhè ge gōng chǎng xū yào gèng duō rén lì.
    This factory needs more manpower.
  • 人力。
    rén lì Zī yuán shì gōng sī zuì zhòng yào de zī chǎn.
    Human resources are the most important asset of a company.
  • 人力。
    Tā men zhèng zài zhāo pìn yǒu jīng yàn de rén lì.
    They are recruiting experienced manpower.

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.

人rénhuman
力lìstrength

人 as human combined with 力 as strength names manpower.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5Workplace & Office

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