独力 (dú lì) — by one's own efforts; independently; single-handedly

Definition

独力 means 'by one's own efforts / single-handedly' and stresses doing something alone without outside help. Often used in formal or written contexts to highlight a difficult achievement.

adverb
by one's own effortsindependentlysingle-handedly
Easily confused

Examples

  • 独力。
    Tā dú lì wán chéng le zhè ge kùn nan de rèn wu.
    He completed this difficult task by his own efforts.
  • 独力。
    Tā dú lì chēng qǐ le zhěng gè jiā.
    She single-handedly supported the whole family.
  • 独力。
    Tā dú lì yǎng dà le liǎng gè hái zi.
    He raised two children by himself.

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.

独dúalone
力lìeffort

独 alone and 力 effort combine to mean by one's own effort.

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 獨; 独 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犭Written in full as犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
蜀
蜀shǔ獨dú
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 獨 pairs 犬 (dog) with 蜀, which gives the sound; the simplified 独 is a shorthand.

Open 独 →

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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