努

nǔ
力 + 奴

Definitions

nǔ (verb) to exert; to strive; make great effort

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 力 represents the meaning and 奴 represents the sound.

Semantic: 力 Phonetic: 奴

About

努 is a phono-semantic compound: the radical 力 (lì) 'strength' at the bottom provides the meaning, while 奴 (nú) at the top gives the sound. 奴, meaning 'slave' or 'servant', is formed from 女 (nǚ) 'female' and 又 (yòu) 'hand', evoking forced, laborious work. Thus, the phonetic not only suggests pronunciation but also reinforces the idea of strenuous effort. The 力 component firmly ties the character to physical exertion, striving, and a determined push to achieve a goal or complete a demanding task.

Example Sentences Hide

我们都要努力。

Wǒmen dōu yào nǔlì.

We all need to strive.

他学习很努力。

Tā xuéxí hěn nǔlì.

He studies very hard.

努力就会成功。

Nǔlì jiù huì chénggōng.

Hard work leads to success.

她每天努力地工作。

Tā měitiān nǔlì de gōngzuò.

She works hard every day.

如果你努力，就能取得好成绩。

Rúguǒ nǐ nǔlì, jiù néng qǔdé hǎo chéngjì.

If you work hard, you can achieve good results.

孩子们在比赛中表现得非常努力。

Háizimen zài bǐsài zhōng biǎoxiàn dé fēicháng nǔlì.

The children performed very hard in the competition.

尽管困难重重，他仍然坚持不懈地努力着。

Jǐnguǎn kùnnán chóngchóng, tā réngrán jiānchí bùxiè de nǔlì zhe.

Despite numerous difficulties, he still perseveres and works hard.

为了实现梦想，他付出了巨大的努力，从未放弃。

Wèile shíxiàn mèngxiǎng, tā fùchū le jùdà de nǔlì, cóngwèi fàngqì.

In order to realize his dream, he has made tremendous efforts and never gave up.

Related Characters

Component: 力

动 加 务 边 办 功 历 另 势 男 助 伤 劳 勒

Component: 奴

怒 弩 呶 帑 驽 孥 胬 砮 拏 笯 駑

Example Words

努力 努克 努尔哈赤 史努比 瓦努阿图 西哈努克