TongTong
Sign in

效力 (xiào lì) — (noun) effectiveness; potency; (verb) to serve (in some capacity); to work for

Definition

效力 is a formal noun for 'effectiveness/potency' (drugs, laws, contracts) — more abstract than 功效, which highlights functional results. As a verb, 'to serve/work for' is highly formal, distinct from everyday 服务.

noun
effectivenesspotency
verb
to serve (in some capacity)to work for

Examples

  • 效力，。
    Zhè zhǒng yào de xiào lì hěn qiáng, dàn fù zuò yòng yě dà.
    This medicine is very effective, but its side effects are also strong.
  • 效力。
    Tā céng zài jūn duì xiào lì wǔ nián.
    He served in the military for five years.
  • ，效力。
    Xīn fǎ lǜ bān bù hòu, qí xiào lì réng xū guān chá.
    After the new law was enacted, its effectiveness still needs to be observed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

效xiàooffer
力lìstrength

效 can mean to offer and 力 means strength, so serving is offering strength, which yields effectiveness.

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pūto strike; action
Sound part声符shēngfú
交
交jiāo效xiào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

效 pairs 攵 (written in full as 攴), meaning “to strike; action,” with 交, which gives the sound.

Open 效 →

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 7-9Abstract Concepts

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.