暴力 (bào lì) — violence; (physical) force | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

暴力 (bàolì) means violence or brute force — usually physical, and broader than 武力, which specifically means armed/military force.

noun

violence(physical) force

Easily confused

暴利bào lìsound-alikeexcessive profits; windfall profits (often obtained through illegal or unethical means)

Examples

，暴力。
Wǒ men yīng gāi yòng hé píng de fāng shì jiě jué chōng tū, ér bú shì shǐ yòng bào lì.
We should resolve conflicts peacefully, not use violence.
暴力。
Zhè bù diàn yǐng lǐ yǒu hěn duō bào lì de huà miàn.
This movie has many violent scenes.
暴力。
Shè huì yīng gāi jìn zhǐ yí qiè xíng shì de bào lì.
Society should prohibit all forms of violence.

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.

暴bàoviolent

暴 “violent” plus 力 “force”: force that is violent.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

虎虎hǔtiger
戈戈gēweapon

The earliest form paired 虎 and 戈, a tiger and a weapon. The later 暴 came from a picture of hands drying something in the sun.

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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