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创造力 (chuàng zào lì) — creativity

Definition

noun
creativity

Examples

  • 创造力。
    chuàng zào lì Shì yì zhǒng bǎo guì de néng lì.
    Creativity is a valuable ability.
  • 创造力。
    Tā yōng yǒu fēi cháng qiáng de chuàng zào lì.
    He possesses very strong creativity.
  • 创造力。
    Jiào yù yīng gāi zhù zhòng péi yǎng xué shēng de chuàng zào lì.
    Education should focus on cultivating students' creativity.

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.

创造create
创chuàngcreate造zàomake
联合Coordinate
力lìpower

创造 means create and 力 means power or ability, together giving the sense of creative power.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 創; 创 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
刀刀dāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
倉
倉cāng創chuàng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 創 pairs 倉 with 刀 (knife) to write 'wound', and 倉 gives the pronunciation. The simplified 创 is a later shorthand.

Open 创 →

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
辵辵chuòto walk
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
屮
屮chè造zào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Its origin is unclear, but early forms of 造 include 辵 (to walk) and 口, with 屮 as a sound part, and mean go or arrive.

Open 造 →

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
Abstract Concepts

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