功劳
gōng láo · HSK 7
contribution
🏆 功 = work/merit + 劳 = labor; literally 'meritorious labor' = credit earned
功 means achievement or merit (work that counts); 劳 means labor or toil. Together: the credit or recognition you've earned through hard work. Often paired as 功劳 to mean someone's contribution deserving acknowledgment.
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.'