力

Power Component (力)

lì · 2 strokes

The power component (力) is a frequently seen component in Chinese characters. In Chinese, components serve different roles: semantic elements contribute meaning, phonetic elements suggest pronunciation, and structural elements provide the character's framework. It primarily serves as a semantic element, contributing meaning related to power and associated concepts to the characters where it appears. It typically appears on the right side of a character. 29 characters: 2 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 6 in HSK 3, 4 in HSK 4, 5 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 8 in HSK 7-9. Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.

Radical vs. Component: 力 is also a Kangxi radical (power). As a radical, it classifies characters in dictionaries. As a component, it appears as a building block contributing meaning, sound, or structure. For radical-specific details, see the Power Radical (力) page.

Power Component at a Glance

Stroke Count2
Total Characters29
Primary RoleSemantic (meaning)
Typical Positionright side
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (8 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes7
Also a Kangxi Radical?Yes — view radical page

All Power Component Characters

HSK 1 (2 characters)

男nánmale边biānside

HSK 2 (1 characters)

动dòng(of sth) to move

HSK 3 (6 characters)

务wùaffair助zhùto help加jiāCanada (abbr. for 加拿大[Jia1 na2 da4])历lìto experience办bànto take care of (a matter)努nǔto exert

HSK 4 (4 characters)

另lìngother, another功gōngmeritorious deed or service勇yǒngbrave励lìto encourage

HSK 5 (5 characters)

穷qióngpoor劝quànto advise勤qíndiligent势shìpower幼yòuyoung

HSK 6 (3 characters)

劣lièinferior劲jìnstrength勉miǎnto exhort

HSK 7-9 (8 characters)

勃bóflourishing劫jiéto rob勘kānto investigate勒lè(literary) bridle虏lǔprisoner of war募mùto canvass for contributions勋xūn(bound form) meritorious accomplishment夯bènvariant of 笨[ben4]

Frequently Asked Questions

What characters contain the power component (力)?
There are 29 characters containing the power component (力) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 2 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 6 in HSK 3, 4 in HSK 4, 5 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 8 in HSK 7-9. The most frequently used include 动 (dòng, "(of sth) to move"), 加 (jiā, "Canada (abbr. for 加拿大[Jia1 na2 da4])"), 务 (wù, "affair"), 边 (biān, "side"), 办 (bàn, "to take care of (a matter)"). Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.
Is 力 a radical or a component?
力 is both. As a Kangxi radical, 力 (power) is part of the traditional system of 214 radicals used to classify Chinese characters in dictionaries. As a component, 力 is a building block that contributes meaning, sound, or structure to compound characters. When a character "has the power radical," it means 力 is the character's primary classifier. When a character "contains the power component," it means 力 appears in the character's decomposition, regardless of whether it serves as the primary radical.
Where does 力 appear in a character?
The power component (力) most commonly appears on the right side of a character. Full position breakdown: right side (13 characters), bottom (10 characters), inner (enclosed) part (4 characters), left side (1 characters), base (1 characters). Knowing where a component typically sits helps with character recognition — when you see 力 in its usual position, you can quickly identify it and infer the character's meaning or pronunciation.
What HSK levels include power component characters?
Characters containing the power component (力) appear across 7 HSK levels: 2 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 6 in HSK 3, 4 in HSK 4, 5 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 8 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 8 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common power-related characters, while advanced levels add specialized or literary terms.

Sources & Standards

Components are identified through structural decomposition analysis of characters in the HSK 3.0 Standard (《国际中文教育中文水平等级标准》), published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 2022 revision. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system (康熙部首).