压力 (yā lì) — pressure (physical or mental) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

压力 (yālì) means 'pressure' in both the physical sense (force per area) and the mental/emotional sense (stress, burden). It pairs with 减轻 when you want to talk about reducing or relieving it.

noun

pressure (physical or mental)

Examples

压力。
Kǎo shì qián wǒ zǒng shì gǎn dào yā lì hěn dà.
I always feel a lot of pressure before exams.
压力，。
Gōng zuò yā lì tài dà de shí hou, nǐ xū yào xué huì fàng sōng.
When work pressure is too high, you need to learn to relax.
压力。
Yùn dòng kě yǐ bāng zhù nǐ jiǎn qīng yā lì.
Exercise can help you reduce pressure.

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.

压 means to press and 力 means force, so together they express pressing force.

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 壓; 压 is its simplified writing.

厭土壓

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔdust

Sound part声符shēngfú

厭

厭yàn壓yā

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 壓 is built from 土, dust, and 厭, which gives the sound; 压 is the simplified form of 壓.

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

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