地力 (dì lì) — soil fertility | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

soil fertility

Easily confused

地力。
Cháng qī shī yòng huà féi huì dǎo zhì dì lì xià jiàng.
Long-term use of chemical fertilizers can lead to a decline in soil fertility.
地力。
Nóng mín tōng guò lún zuò lái bǎo chí dì lì.
Farmers maintain soil fertility through crop rotation.
地力，。
Zhè piàn tǔ dì de dì lì hěn hǎo, shì hé zhǒng xiǎo mài.
The soil fertility of this land is very good, suitable for growing wheat.

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.

“地” names land and “力” names its productive power, together meaning soil fertility.

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.

土也地

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

也

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

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

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.