源etymfun
About

Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

Explanations are written by a local model (gemma4) and only published after a verification pass against the cited sources. How it works.

Chinese

自力更生

/t͡sɹ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ li⁵¹ kɤŋ⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵/
to rely on one's own efforts; to become self-reliant
  • HSK 10
Post Share

Etymology graph

  • inherited
  • borrowed
  • derived
  • parts
  • meaning component
  • sound component
  • related
React Flow
Press enter or space to select a node. You can then use the arrow keys to move the node around. Press delete to remove it and escape to cancel.
Press enter or space to select an edge. You can then press delete to remove it or escape to cancel.

點擊節點放大 · Click a node to zoom in

Origin

The phrase 自力更生 is composed of four characters. The character 自 means self, oneself, or one's own, while 力 refers to physical strength, physical power, or energy.

Together, these form a phrase describing the act of using one's own power to manage a livelihood. The remaining components are 更, meaning to change or to replace, and 生, meaning to live, to subsist, or to exist.

Within the character 更, the component 攴 signifies hitting lightly or tapping, which serves as the semantic component, while 𰀒, meaning two chariots, serves as the phonetic component. The character 生 is formed from the components 一 (one) and 屮 (the new birth of a plant).

Confidence: high · written by gemma4:26b, checked statement-by-statement against the sources below.

「自力更生」是由四個漢字組成的詞語。其中「自」代表自己或自身；「力」指體力、力量或能量；「更」意為改變或替換；「生」則表示生存、生活或存在。

在字形結構上，「更」字包含表示改變或替換的意義成分「攴」（意為輕輕敲打），並以「𰀒」（兩輛車）作為音符。而「生」字則由「屮」（植物新生的樣子）與「一」組成。

Confidence: high · written by gemma4:26b, checked statement-by-statement against the sources below.

Lineage

  • characterChinese自 “self, oneself; one's own”
  • characterChinese力 “physical strength; physical power; energy”
  • characterChinese更 “to change; to replace”
    • soundChinese𰀒 “two chariots”
    • meaningChinese攴 “to hit lightly; to tap”
  • characterChinese生 “to live; to subsist; to exist”
    • ideaChinese屮 “new birth of plant”
    • ideaChinese一 “one”
Wiktionary etymology text

No etymology text yet. The graph shows what is known from the sources.

Meanings

phrase
  1. to rely on one's own efforts; to become self-reliant

國語辭典 definitions

  1. 用自己的力量經營生計。 例：他成年後便自力更生，不再依靠父母。

© Ministry of Education, Taiwan — CC BY-ND 3.0 TW, shown unaltered.

Sources

  • etymagent (local gemma4:26b) — Generated
  • HSK / TOCFL word lists — Facts (levels)
  • 教育部《國語辭典簡編本》 (Taiwan MOE) — CC BY-ND 3.0 TW
  • Written form — n/a
  • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0