功
gōng · HSK 7
achievement
🏆 工 (work) + 力 (strength) = effort that earns achievement
功 combines 工 work and 力 strength — labor plus power yields merit. Used in 成功 chénggōng success and 功夫 gōngfu kung fu, literally skill earned through sustained effort.
功 — work 工 (phonetic) + strength 力 (semantic)
功 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The right side 力 (strength, a pictograph of a plow or flexed arm) gives the meaning, while 工 (work, originally a carpenter's square) supplies the sound. Together they convey effort applied to work — hence 'achievement, merit, accomplishment.'