外力 (wài lì) — external force; outside influence | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

external forceoutside influence

Examples

外力。
Zhè ge wù tǐ shòu dào le wài lì de zuò yòng.
This object is acted upon by an external force.
外力，。
Gōng sī gǎn shòu dào hěn dà de wài lì, bù dé bù gǎi biàn jì huà.
The company feels great external pressure and has to change plans.
外力。
Zhè ge guó jiā zài zhàn zhēng zhōng dé dào le yì xiē wài lì zhī chí.
This country received some external support in the war.

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.

外wàioutside

外 gives outside and 力 gives force.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

月

月yuè外wài

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

外 pairs 卜 with 月, a crescent moon; in its older form, the 卜 part had a horizontal bar extending outward, giving the sense of outside.

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.

Appears in

Physics & Chemistry

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