力
ryeok
Why stamina and electricity share the character 力
The picture The force in an arm set against something heavy, pushing until it moves. 力 is the force that pushes things into motion; 氣 is the energy circulating all through the body.
Where the picture shows up in 力
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the force the body holds up with
요즘 체력(體力)이 떨어졌어요.
yo-jeum che-ryeo-gi tteo-reo-jeo-sseo-yo
My stamina has dropped lately.
The prop that held a body upright all day sinking lower until the knees fold
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pushing with force put in
조금만 더 노력(努力)하세요.
jo-geum-man deo no-ryeo-ka-se-yo
Try pushing a little harder.
A shoulder against a cart that would not budge, pushing until the wheel turns a finger's width
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the force to pull it off
저 분은 능력(能力)이 있어요.
jeo bu-neun neung-nyeo-gi i-sseo-yo
He is someone who gets things done.
A load others stood around and could not lift, hoisted and set down by one person
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many arms gathered on one thing
두 팀이 협력(協力)했어요.
du ti-mi hyeom-nyeo-kae-sseo-yo
The two teams joined forces.
A load that would not move for one person, with many hands gripping it all at once
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the force that turns machines
공장에 전력(電力)이 부족해요.
gong-jang-e jeol-lyeo-gi bu-jo-kae-yo
The factory is short on electricity.
The stream that came down the wire and turned the machines thinning out until the machines slow
The pushing need not come from a human arm.
All of it in one picture
力 is one arm shoving a heavy thing into motion. When that arm holds you up through the whole day, it is stamina; lean a shoulder into something immovable and keep pushing, and that is effort. Lift what others cannot and that is ability; let many arms grip the same load and that is cooperation. And when the pushing arrives along a wire instead of from a body, we call it electric power.