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破坏力 (pò huài lì) — destructive power

Definition

noun
destructive power

Examples

  • 破坏力，。
    Zhè chǎng dì zhèn de pò huài lì fēi cháng dà, zhěng gè chéng shì dōu biàn chéng le fèi xū.
    The destructive power of this earthquake was huge; the entire city turned into ruins.
  • 破坏力。
    Zhè zhǒng wǔ qì de pò huài lì zú yǐ cuī huǐ yí zuò shān.
    The destructive power of this weapon is enough to destroy a mountain.
  • ，破坏力。
    Fù miàn qíng xù rú guǒ jī lěi tài jiǔ, tā de pò huài lì huì shāng hài nǐ de jiàn kāng.
    If negative emotions accumulate for too long, their destructive power can harm your health.

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.

破坏destroy
破pòbreak坏huàidamage
联合Coordinate
力lìpower

破坏 “destroy” and 力 “power” together mean the power to destroy.

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
石石shí
Sound part声符shēngfú
皮
皮pí破pò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

破 has 石 (stone) as its meaning part and 皮 as its sound part.

Open 破 →

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 壞; 坏 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
褱
褱huái壞huài
Same sound today

For the traditional form 壞, 土 (earth) is the meaning part and 褱 supplies the sound; earth is used because something that rots eventually becomes earth. This is about 壞, not the simplified 坏.

Open 坏 →

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
Abstract Concepts

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