强迫
qiángpò · HSK 5
to compel; to force
💪 强 = strong/force + 迫 = press/compel
强 carries the sense of forceful strength; 迫 means to press or urge closely. Together they mean to compel or coerce — strength applied as pressure. Related to 强制 (enforce) and 迫使 (force someone to).
强 — bow 弓 + elong 㔾 + insect 虫
Originally written 強, depicting a type of strong-shelled insect or weevil, with 虫 (insect) as semantic and 弘 as phonetic. The meaning shifted from the insect's tough shell to the general sense of 'strong, powerful, forceful.' The form 强 is a common variant where 弘 is replaced by 弓+口.