力 lì — power; force; strength
学习需要努力。Xué xí xū yào nǔ lì.Learning requires effort.
Common words: 努力 (nǔ lì)、能力 (néng lì)、力量 (lì liang)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "power"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "power", including 力 (lì), 强 (qiáng), 权 (quán), 威 (wēi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "power" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 力 (lì), 强 (qiáng), 权 (quán), 威 (wēi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span lì, qiáng, quán, wēi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 力 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 力 lìpower; force; strengthUseful words: 努力, 能力
- 强 qiángstrength; force; power; powerful; betterUseful words: 强大, 强烈
- 权 quánauthority; power; rightUseful words: 权利, 权力
- 威 wēipower; might; prestigeUseful words: 威胁, 权威
Common words for these 4 "power" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 力 (lì) — so "power" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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强大qiáng dàbig and strong; formidable; powerful强烈qiáng lièstrong; intense坚强jiān qiángstaunch; strong权利quán lìright (i.e. an entitlement to sth); (classical) power and wealth权力quán lìpower; authority权威quán wēiauthority; authoritative; power and prestige威胁wēi xiéto threaten; to menace
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "power".
强 qiáng — strength; force; power; powerful; better
他的身体很强壮。Tā de shēn tǐ hěn qiáng zhuàng.His body is very strong.
Common words: 强大 (qiáng dà)、强烈 (qiáng liè)、坚强 (jiān qiáng)
权 quán — authority; power; right
每个人都有学习的权利。Měi ge rén dōu yǒu xué xí de quán lì.Everyone has the right to learn.
Common words: 权利 (quán lì)、权力 (quán lì)、权威 (quán wēi)
威 wēi — power; might; prestige
老虎是一种很有威力的动物。Lǎo hǔ shì yì zhǒng hěn yǒu wēi lì de dòng wù.The tiger is a very powerful animal.
Common words: 威胁 (wēi xié)、权威 (quán wēi)、威力 (wēi lì)
All 4 characters
Open 力、强、权 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.