Where does “力む” come from?

力む (Japanese) comes from Japanese 力, from Middle Chinese 力 — strength, power.

力む (Japanese): strain oneself, make strenuous efforts; put up a...

Definitions

  1. strain oneself, make strenuous efforts; put up a...

Ancestry of “力む”, step by step

力む traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 力

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese力strength; power; force; force; ability; capacity
2Middle Chinese力strength, power

via Japanese む

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1JapaneseむUsed to indicate a mumbling sound; Used to form...
2Middle Chinese無—
Every word from Middle Chinese 力 →Every word from Japanese 力 →