<p>Acc. to the <a href="http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/newDict/dict.sh?cond=%5E%B9%A9%24&amp;pieceLen=50&amp;fld=1&amp;cat=&amp;imgFont=1" rel="nofollow">教育部國語辭典</a>, a 鼎 ding was originally a cooking pot with three feet (there were also 方鼎 with four feet), and in the Minnan dialect the word ding is still used for cooking pot. Later, however, ding came to describe the <a href="http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/0c/c6/c1.html" rel="nofollow">massive cauldrons</a> used in ritual ceremonies during the Zhou dynasty.</p>

<p>The word ding has many connotations derived from this sense, such as 傳國的寶器 a precious vessel passed on as a symbol of royal authority, or 比喻三公、宰相、重臣等高位 a metaphor for the highest authorities of the state.</p>

<p><a href="http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/newDict/dict.sh?idx=dict.idx&amp;cond=%B9%A9%A4O&amp;pieceLen=50&amp;fld=1&amp;cat=&amp;imgFont=1" rel="nofollow">鼎力</a> is a very formal literary phrase that means 'with strong support', and is used in idioms like 鼎力相助, 鼎力玉成. It doesn't have to be 'state', support but it does imply that the support comes from powerful or influential persons, and is thus a flowery sort of compliment in the idioms above.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-15T00:04:08.403Z
2015-08-15T00:04:08.403Z
wpt
<p>关键是减少烟民数量，要实现这个目标，光靠医生的劝导是不幸的，还需要国家采取措施鼎力支持。</p>

<p>When I look up 鼎力 I get 'your kind help' or 'thanks for your help'.</p>

<p>In the above sentence, I think it just means 'help', or are there other connotations? Could I change it for '帮助‘？</p>

<p>Edit after reading wpt's answer:</p>

<p>还需要国家采取措施鼎力支持。= also the state needs to adopt strongly supportive measures.</p>

<p>鼎力 here 'strongly' is that about right??</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-15T02:13:54.410Z
'adopt strongly supportive measures', sounds right.
wpt
<meaning>
What does this 鼎力 mean here?
# What does this 鼎力 mean here?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-08-14)

关键是减少烟民数量，要实现这个目标，光靠医生的劝导是不幸的，还需要国家采取措施鼎力支持。

When I look up 鼎力 I get 'your kind help' or 'thanks for your help'.

In the above sentence, I think it just means 'help', or are there other connotations? Could I change it for '帮助‘？

Edit after reading wpt's answer:

还需要国家采取措施鼎力支持。= also the state needs to adopt strongly supportive measures.

鼎力 here 'strongly' is that about right??

**Tags:** meaning
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 'adopt strongly supportive measures', sounds right.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2015-08-15. Score: 3

Acc. to the [教育部國語辭典](http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/newDict/dict.sh?cond=%5E%B9%A9%24&pieceLen=50&fld=1&cat=&imgFont=1), a 鼎 ding was originally a cooking pot with three feet (there were also 方鼎 with four feet), and in the Minnan dialect the word ding is still used for cooking pot. Later, however, ding came to describe the [massive cauldrons](http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/0c/c6/c1.html) used in ritual ceremonies during the Zhou dynasty.

The word ding has many connotations derived from this sense, such as 傳國的寶器 a precious vessel passed on as a symbol of royal authority, or 比喻三公、宰相、重臣等高位 a metaphor for the highest authorities of the state.

[鼎力](http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/newDict/dict.sh?idx=dict.idx&cond=%B9%A9%A4O&pieceLen=50&fld=1&cat=&imgFont=1) is a very formal literary phrase that means 'with strong support', and is used in idioms like 鼎力相助, 鼎力玉成. It doesn't have to be 'state', support but it does imply that the support comes from powerful or influential persons, and is thus a flowery sort of compliment in the idioms above.


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