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致力于 (zhìlìyú) — to be dedicated to; to devote oneself to; to be committed to

Definition

致力于 + object/goal expresses a long-term commitment to a cause or task. Lighter than 奉献 (self-sacrifice for a noble cause); broader than 专用 (exclusive use of a tool).

verb
to be dedicated toto devote oneself toto be committed to

Examples

  • 致力于。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī zhìlìyú tí gāo chǎn pǐn zhì liàng.
    This company is dedicated to improving product quality.
  • 致力于。
    Tā yì shēng zhìlìyú huán bǎo shì yè.
    He devoted his whole life to environmental protection.
  • 致力于。
    Zhōng guó zhèng fǔ zhìlìyú cù jìn shì jiè hé píng.
    The Chinese government is committed to promoting world peace.

Origin

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
攵Written in full as攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
至
至zhì致zhì
Same sound today

致 pairs 至, used for its sound, with 攵, written in full as 攴.

Open 致 →

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 一一yīflat stream of air
  • 丂丂kǎoto exhale

The old shape of 于 may have pictured an ancient wind instrument. Another explanation reads 一 as a flat stream of air and 丂 as an exhaling mark.

Open 于 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Will & Intention

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