The word 抵抗力 is formed by combining the characters 抵 (dǐ), meaning "to resist", and 抗 (kàng), meaning "to resist", to create the compound 抵抗 (dǐkàng), meaning "resistance". Then, the character 力 (lì), meaning "power" or "strength", is added to form 抵抗力, which literally means "the power of resistance" or "resistance capability".