力

lì = li + Ø4

power / force / strength / ability / strenuously

力 = ㇆ + 丿 : Mnemonic symbol: a power button.

Li Qingzhao (li) just had a shower in the space station's bathroom (Ø4) and wants to use the hair dryer, but there's no plug, just the bare end of the cable! She uses all her power to build an electricity plug, and for the two pins she uses a plough (㇆) and a banana (丿). Finally she hits a big power button (力) to turn the power on.

力 character breakdown

力
- 丿
- ㇆
  - 一
  - 亅

丿

piě = pi + e3

radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 4) / see 撇[pie3]

Pocahontas (pi-) is eating a banana (丿) in the elevator's living room (-e3).

㇆

Character component without intrinsic meaning

㇆ = 一 + 亅 : Mnemonic symbol: ㇆ just looks like a plow.

Someone attached a flute to the top of a crowbar to create a new instrument. When the crowbar is bowed with a plow, the vibrations of the crowbar will transfer to the flute, which in turn is producing eerie sounds.

Characters with 力 as component

效

効

xiào = xi + ao4

variant of 效[xiao4]

效 = 交 + 攵 : Marie Curie (xi) and Linus Pauling (交) are testing their new special effects (效) equipment in the aorta's bathroom (ao4). Marie creates lots of fog by crushing a rock with a sledgehammer (攵), and Linus creates lots of sparks by crushing a flint stone with a sledgehammer.

勖

xù = xu + Ø4

exhort / stimulate

夯

bèn = b + (e)n4

variant of 笨[ben4]

夯

ha̅ng = h + ang1

to tamp / (slang) popular / hot

饬

飭

chì = ch + Ø4