立功
lìgōng · HSK 7
to render meritorious service (one the three imperishables 三不朽[san1 bu4 xiu3]); to make worthy contributions
🧍 立功 = 立 (stand) + 功 (merit/effort); lìgōng — stand up and put in the work
立 is the stand component (a figure on the ground); 功 pairs 工 work with 力 strength. Sound: lì-gōng rhymes the two clipped syllables, lee-gong.
立 — person standing on ground (大 over 一)
Pictograph of a person standing with arms outstretched on the ground line below. The original oracle bone form clearly shows a frontal human figure planted on the earth. The core meaning 'to stand' extended to 'establish, set up, erect.'
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.'