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杀伤力 (shā shāng lì) — destructive power (of a weapon); (figurative) devastating impact, striking force

Definition

Literally the 'killing-and-wounding power' of a weapon, but widely used figuratively for any devastating impact — a joke, ad, or argument that really lands. Compare with 影响力 ('influence'), which is broader and neutral.

noun
destructive power (of a weapon)(figurative) devastating impactstriking force

Examples

  • 杀伤力。
    Zhè zhǒng wǔ qì de shā shāng lì fēi cháng dà.
    The destructive power of this weapon is very great.
  • 杀伤力，。
    Tā de xiào hua shā shāng lì hěn qiáng, dà jiā dōu xiào le.
    His joke had great impact; everyone laughed.
  • 杀伤力，。
    Zhè ge guǎng gào de shā shāng lì hěn dà, xī yǐn le dà liàng gù kè.
    This advertisement has great impact, attracting many customers.

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.

杀伤kill and wound
杀shākill伤shāngwound
联合Coordinate
力lìpower

“杀” means kill, “伤” means wound, and “力” means power, so it denotes destructive power.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 殺; 杀 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 殺 comes from an old drawing of a boar impaled in the head, with 人 and 又 added to show a person doing the killing; the simplified 杀 is a later abbreviation.

Open 杀 →

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 傷; 伤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
𥏻
𥏻𥏻傷shāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傷 shows 人, a person, and uses 𥏻 to give the sound; the simplified 伤 is a later shorthand.

Open 伤 →

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
Military & DefenseSafety & Danger

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