強

Extended senses: forceful, coercive, “by force,” “against one’s will” (as in 强制 “coercion,” 强要 “to compel”).

A phono-semantic compound:

虫 (“insect, worm”) – originally related to the “pest” meaning;

弘 (“broad, vast”).

In early usage, 弜 and 彊 carried the meaning “strong,” while 強 meant weevil/borer insect. Over time, 強 replaced 彊 for the meaning “strong,” and the pest meaning disappeared.

Modern meaning: now universally “strong, powerful, forceful.”

Additional nuance: can mean “forced/compelled” when used in compounds.

Opposite: 弱 (“weak”).

Synonyms/related characters:

剛 (강) – “sturdy, hard” (focuses on toughness).

鋼 (강) – “steel” (metal-related, but by extension “strong”).

彊 (강) – older/literary form for “strong,” mostly replaced by 強.

强