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生命力 (shēng mìng lì) — vitality, life force

Definition

生命力 is the life force or vitality of a person, organism, or culture — abstract energy that drives life. Compared to 活力 (lively vigor in activity) and 能量 (energy, including physics), 生命力 is deeper, tied to something's capacity to live and endure.

noun
vitalitylife force

Examples

  • 生命力。
    Zhè zhǒng zhí wù zài è liè huán jìng zhōng yī rán chōng mǎn shēng mìng lì.
    This plant is still full of vitality in harsh environments.
  • 生命力。
    Yí gè chéng shì de shēng mìng lì lái zì tā de wén huà hé rén mín.
    A city's vitality comes from its culture and people.
  • ，生命力。
    Tā nián jì dà le, dàn shēng mìng lì yī rán wàng shèng.
    He is old, but his vitality is still strong.

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.

生命life
生shēnglife命mìnglife
联合Coordinate
力lìforce

The 生命, or life, and 力, or force, combine to mean living power or vitality.

Characters in this word

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

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng命mìng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

命 combines 口, a mouth, with 令, which gives the sound.

Open 命 →

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 6Biology

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