活力
huólì · HSK 5
vitality
⚡ 活 = alive/living + 力 = strength/power → living strength = vitality
活 (huó) means alive or living; 力 (lì) means strength or force. Together they form living strength — the energy and vigor of a youthful, sprightly being. Same 力 appears in 努力 (effort) and 力气 (physical strength).
活 — water radical 氵 + tongue 舌
Originally a phono-semantic compound: 氵 (water) suggests flowing or liveliness, while 舌 (tongue) hints at the sound. Early forms depicted gushing water, conveying the idea of being lively or alive. The meaning broadened from 'flowing water' to 'living, alive, active.'
力 — pictograph of a plow or arm muscle
力 originated as a pictograph of an ancient plow, the main tool requiring physical exertion in early agriculture. Some scholars also see it as a flexed arm showing muscle. From this concrete image it broadened to mean 'strength, power, force, effort'.