力 (lì): power, force, strength
力 (lì) is a Chinese character meaning “power.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 丿 (structural). It ranks #106 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 力 a plow's head representing strength. Its radical form 力 (power) appears in many related characters such as 动 (dòng, (of sth) to move), 办 (bàn, to take care of (a matter)), 加 (jiā, Canada (abbr. for 加拿大)).
Definitions
- power
- force
- strength
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA plow's head representing strength
Stroke Order
Practice writing 力 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 力
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 努力verb/adjective | nǔ lì | to make an effort | 3 |
| 能力noun | néng lì | capability | 4 |
| 力量noun | lì liang | power | 5 |
| 压力noun | yā lì | pressure | 4 |
| 尽力verb | jìn lì | to strive one's hardest | 5 |
| 巧克力noun | qiǎo kè lì | (loanword) chocolate | 4 |
| 暴力noun | bào lì | violence | 6 |
| 权力noun | quán lì | power | 6 |
| 魅力noun | mèi lì | charm | 5 |
| 全力noun/adverb | quán lì | with all one's strength | 5 |
| 精力noun | jīng lì | energy | 5 |
| 活力noun | huó lì | energy | 6 |
| 动力noun | dòng lì | motive power | 6 |
| 实力noun | shí lì | strength | 5 |
| 力气noun | lì qi | physical strength | 4 |
| 潜力noun | qián lì | potential | 6 |
| 电力noun | diàn lì | electrical power | 6 |
| 有力adjective | yǒu lì | powerful | 5 |
| 体力noun | tǐ lì | physical strength | 5 |
| 势力noun | shì li | power | 6 |
| 用力verb | yòng lì | to exert oneself physically | 5 |
| 智力noun | zhì lì | intelligence | 6 |
| 视力noun | shì lì | eyesight | 6 |
| 人力noun | rén lì | manpower | 5 |
| 大力noun/adverb | dà lì | energetically | 5 |
| 听力noun | tīng lì | hearing | 4 |
| 力度noun | lì dù | strength | 6 |
| 生命力noun | shēng mìng lì | vitality | 6 |
| 风力noun | fēng lì | wind force | 6 |
| 劳动力noun | láo dòng lì | labor force | 6 |
| 出力verb | chū lì | to exert oneself | 6 |
力 appears in 136 compound words: 9 as the first character, 83 as the last, and 8 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 力 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (57)
(lit.) the strength to truss a chicken (idiom); (fig.) slight physical strength
Showing 12 of 57 idioms containing 力.
Example Sentences
老师教我们力字的发音和笔顺。
lǎo shī jiào wǒ men lì zì de fā yīn hé bǐ shùn .
The teacher taught us the pronunciation and stroke order of the character "力."
从球场到社区 三哥力撑学界足球精英梦
cóng qiú chǎng dào shè qū sān gē lì chēng xué jiè zú qiú jīng yīng mèng
From the stadium to the community, the third brother supports the dream of school football elites
台股金蛇年这7档规模翻倍增 吸金力道猛
tái gǔ jīn shé nián zhè 7 dàng guī mó fān bèi zēng xī jīn lì dào měng
The scale of these 7 gears in the Year of the Golden Snake of Taiwan stocks has doubled, and the gold absorption is fierce
台美日联手 进击AI记忆体...力积电扛试产与制造重任
tái měi rì lián shǒu jìn jī A I jì yì tǐ . . . lì jī diàn gāng shì chǎn yǔ zhì zào chóng rèn
Taiwan, the United States and Japan join forces to attack AI memory... PSMC shoulders the heavy responsibility of trial production and manufacturing
力积电 变身AI供应链整合者
lì jī diàn biàn shēn A I gōng yīng liàn zhěng gě zhě
PSMC transforms into an AI supply chain integrator
外媒:春节全球影响力持续扩大
wài méi : chūn jié quán qiú yǐng xiǎng lì chí xù kuò dà
Foreign media: The global influence of the Spring Festival continues to expand
什么？你把我的巧克力熊吃了？！
Shénme? nǐ bǎ wǒ de qiǎokèlì xióng chī le?!
What?! You ate my chocolate bear?!
想吃一点巧克力奶酪吗？
Xiǎng chī yīdiǎn qiǎokèlì nǎilào ma?
How about some chocolate cheese?
你不喜欢巧克力对吧？
Nǐ bù xǐhuan qiǎokèlì duì ba?
You don't like chocolate, do you?
我的巧克力盒在哪里？
Wǒ de qiǎokèlì hé zài nǎlǐ?
Where's my box of chocolates?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 力 (lì) mean in Chinese?
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What characters sound the same as 力 (lì)?
Is 力 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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