p8nda
p8nda BETA
Home Dictionary Translate Flashcards Sign in

强

強
qiǎng / qiáng / jiàng
verb #669

Meanings

  1. 1 to force; to compel
  2. 2 to strive; to make an effort
  3. 3 to do reluctantly; to do with difficulty

Examples

HSK 3
不要强人所难。
Bùyào qiǎng rén suǒ nán.
Don't force people to do what's hard for them.
HSK 3
感情是不能强求的。
Gǎnqíng shì bùnéng qiǎng qiú de.
Feelings can't be forced.
HSK 7-9
勉强接受。
Miǎnqiǎng jiēshòu.
Reluctantly accept; barely accept.

Tips

usage
The qiǎng reading rarely stands alone - it lives inside set compounds you should memorize as units: 勉强 (reluctant / barely), 强迫 (to compel), 强求 (to demand), 强人所难 (to push someone past their limit), 牵强 (far-fetched).
memory
Memory hook: qiáng = adjective 'strong', qiǎng = verb 'to force'. The dipping third tone matches the act of pushing someone down to make them comply - sound mirrors the meaning.

Components

radical
弓 gōng
bow
Bow radical on the left - the indexing semantic. The original meaning was a tough, hard bow, since tension is what makes a bow strong. Strength was conceptualized through weapon-tension. Same radical anchors 弱 weak, 引 to draw, 张 to stretch open.
phonetic
虽 suī
rice-weevil (here phonetic)
Right side (口 over 虫) supplies the sound: 虽 drifted to qiáng across millennia of Old Chinese sound shifts. 虽 also depicts a hard-shelled weevil; the tough-insect imagery merged with the bow on the left to give the modern senses 'strong, tough, forceful'.

Stroke Order

强 qiǎng