Meaning
power; force; strength
Chinese: 力量、能力。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “li” becomes a different word in each tone. 力 is the 4th tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 努力nǔ lìto make an effort; to try hard; to strive; hard-working
- 能力néng lìcapability; ability
- 力量lì liangpower; force; strength
- 压力yā lìpressure
- 实力shí lìstrength
Example Sentence
学习需要努力。Xué xí xū yào nǔ lì.Learning requires effort.
学习Xué xíto learn需要xū yàoto need努力nǔ lìhard-working。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
A pictograph of a plough (some say a flexed arm) — a tool that takes effort to use — so it means ‘strength / power’.
A way to remember it
A bent, straining shape — muscle and effort.
Easy to confuse with
- 刀‘Knife’: similar shape, but the stroke order and the hook differ.