视力 (shì lì) — vision, eyesight | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

视力 (shìlì) is your physical eyesight — how well your eyes can see, as tested at the eye doctor. It contrasts with 视觉, the abstract 'sense of sight / visual perception.'

noun

visioneyesight

Easily confused

Examples

视力。
Bǎo hù shì lì hěn zhòng yào.
Protecting your eyesight is very important.
。
Cháng shí jiān kàn shǒu jī duì shì lì bù hǎo.
Looking at your phone for a long time is bad for your eyesight.
视力，。
Tā de shì lì hěn hǎo, néng kàn dào hěn yuǎn de dōng xī.
His eyesight is very good; he can see things far away.

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.

视 ('vision') and 力 ('power') combine to mean the power of seeing.

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 視; 视 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

見見jiànsee

Sound part声符shēngfú

示

示shì視shì

Same sound today

The story is about the traditional form 視: it combines 見, meaning see, with 示, which gives the sound shì.

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

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Senses

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