臂力 (bì lì) — arm strength

Definition

noun
arm strength

Examples

  • 臂力,。
    Tā de bì lì hěn qiáng, néng qīng sōng zuò wǔ shí gè fǔ wò chēng.
    His arm strength is very strong; he can easily do fifty push-ups.
  • 臂力。
    Pān yán xū yào hěn hǎo de bì lì hé nài lì.
    Rock climbing requires good arm strength and endurance.
  • ,臂力。
    Jīng guò sān gè yuè de xùn liàn, tā de bì lì míng xiǎn zēng jiā le.
    After three months of training, his arm strength has increased significantly.

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.

力lìstrength

臂 names the arm, and 力 names the strength it can exert.

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
肉肉ròumeat; flesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
辟
辟pì臂bei
Same sound today

臂 includes 肉, meaning meat or flesh, and 辟, which gives the character its sound.

Open 臂 →

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 →

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