神力 (shén lì) — superhuman power; divine power

Definition

noun
superhuman powerdivine power

Examples

  • Chuán shuō zhōng tā yǒu shén lì, néng yí shān tián hǎi.
    Legend says he had superhuman power and could move mountains and fill seas.
  • 神力
    Zhè wèi yùn dòng yuán de biǎo xiàn jiǎn zhí xiàng yōng yǒu shén lì yí yàng.
    This athlete's performance is as if he possesses superhuman power.
  • 神力
    Gǔ rén jiāng zì rán xiàn xiàng guī yīn yú shén míng de shén lì.
    Ancient people attributed natural phenomena to the divine power of the gods.

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.

shéndivine
power

'神' divine and '力' power combine to mean superhuman strength.

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
shìgod; deity
Sound part声符shēngfú
shēnshén
Same sound today

The older form 申 drew lightning, which the ancients regarded as divine; 神 adds 示 (god/deity) to mark that meaning.

Open 神 →

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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