用力 (yòng lì) — to exert oneself physically; to use force

Definition

用力 focuses on physical force — pushing, kicking, hitting. 尽力 and 出力 are about putting in general effort, not force.

verb

to exert oneself physicallyto use force

用力。
Qǐng yòng lì tuī.
Please push hard.
。
Tā yòng lì dì tī le yì jiǎo.
He kicked hard.
用力，。
Bié tài yòng lì, xiǎo xīn nòng huài.
Don't use too much force, be careful not to break it.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

用 means to apply, and 力 means force; together they mean applying 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.

用 was formed by adding a handle to an earlier form.

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