TongTong
Sign in

劳动力 (láo dòng lì) — labor force, manpower

Definition

劳动力 is the formal/economic term for 'labor force' — the total available workers in a country, industry, or firm, as a quantifiable resource. Contrast with 人力 (manpower in general), 人工 (manual labor or man-made), and 人手 (staff at hand).

noun
labor forcemanpower
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 劳动力。
    Zhè ge gōng chǎng xū yào dà liàng láo dòng lì.
    This factory needs a large labor force.
  • ，劳动力。
    Suí zhe jīng jì fā zhǎn, láo dòng lì jié gòu fā shēng le biàn huà.
    With economic development, the structure of the labor force has changed.
  • 劳动力。
    Tí gāo láo dòng lì sù zhì shì qǐ yè de guān jiàn rèn wu.
    Improving the quality of the labor force is a key task for enterprises.

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.

劳动work
劳láolabor动dòngmove
联合Coordinate
力lìstrength

劳动 names work or toil, while 力 contributes strength or capacity, together describing the manpower available for labor.

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 勞; 劳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lì
Sound part声符shēngfú
𬡤
𬡤𬡤勞láo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 勞 uses 力 for the meaning and 𬡤 for the sound; the simplified 劳 is a later shortened shape.

Open 劳 →

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 動; 动 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng動dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 動 uses 力 (strength) and 重 as a sound part; 重 refers to a heavy bag ready to be moved by a human. This note is about 動, not 动.

Open 动 →

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 6Business & Commerce

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.