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竭力 (jié lì) — to do one's utmost; with all one's effort

Definition

Formal written adverb meaning 'with all one's effort,' stronger than 尽量 ('as much as possible') and close in force to 极力 and 全力. Common in reports and literary prose; rarely used in casual speech.

adverb
to do one's utmostwith all one's effort

Examples

  • 竭力。
    Tā jié lì xiǎng bàn fǎ wán chéng gōng zuò.
    He did his utmost to figure out how to finish the work.
  • 竭力。
    Tā jié lì pǎo wán le shí gōng lǐ.
    She ran ten kilometers with all her effort.
  • 竭力。
    Kē xué jiā men jié lì kāi fā xīn yào.
    The scientists did their utmost to develop a new drug.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

竭jiéexhaust
力lìstrength

竭 means exhaust and 力 means strength, so the word pictures using all one's 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
立立lì
Sound part声符shēngfú
曷
曷hé竭jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

竭 is built from 立 and 曷: 立 carries the meaning part, while 曷 supplies the sound.

Open 竭 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Success & Failure

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.