shí​lì HSK3

strength

shí, shi real Simplified

Original meaning: rich; plentiful

Simplified form of . Depicts a string of money () under a roof (). Based on the original meaning "rich; plentiful". The meaning later expanded to "solid", "fruit", and "true". The component was changed to for simplification.

Components

Meaning component
mián roof
Simplified component
tóu, tou head

Shorthand for the component in the traditional character .

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

lì, li power

Pictograph of a plow, which requires strength to operate.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Warring States ~400 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartlikk.rək strength

說文解字

《說文》:“力,筋也。象人筋之形。治功曰力,能圉大災。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫季旭昇《說文新證》p.918-919
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

shí, shi real Traditional

Original meaning: rich; plentiful

Depicts a string of money () under a roof (). Based on the original meaning "rich; plentiful". The meaning later expanded to "solid", "fruit", and "true".

Components

Meaning component
mián roof
Meaning component
guàn a string of 1000 coins

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Xin 9-23 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartzyitmə.li[t] fruit; full

說文解字

《說文》:“實,富也。从宀,从貫。貫,貨貝也。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.593漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica