力 meaning and stroke order

lì

Power; force; strength

HSK 2 2 strokes Radical 力

Strokes2

Pinyinlì

ToneTone 4

Frequency#200

Printable worksheet Practice all HSK 2 characters

How to write 力, stroke by stroke

2 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.

Meaning of 力

Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.

lìfourth tone (falling)

power
force
strength
ability
strenuously

How 力 is built

Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A plow's head representing strength.

piěslash

How to remember 力

力 (lì) is drawn from a plow's head, the tool you push into the ground with all your strength. Picture the hooked stroke as the blade digging into the soil and the slanted stroke as the handle you lean on.

力 rarely stands alone in speech and usually appears in words like 努力 (nǔlì, to try hard), 能力 (nénglì, ability), and 压力 (yālì, pressure). It often names a kind of ability, as in 听力 (tīnglì, listening ability). Example: 他工作很努力。(Tā gōngzuò hěn nǔlì.) He works very hard.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse 力 (lì) with 刀 (dāo, knife). In 力 the slanted stroke crosses through the top horizontal hook, while in 刀 it does not stick out above. Also keep the tone falling (lì), not rising like 离 (lí).

Common words with 力

Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	Level
努力	nǔlì	to make an effort; to try hard; to strive; hard-working; conscientious	HSK 2
力量	lìliàng	power; force; strength	HSK 3
能力	nénglì	capability; ability	HSK 3
压力	yālì	pressure	HSK 3
动力	dònglì	motive power; (fig.) motivation; impetus	HSK 3
实力	shílì	strength	HSK 3
听力	tīnglì	hearing; listening ability	HSK 3
巧克力	qiǎokèlì	(loanword) chocolate	HSK 4
尽力	jìnlì	to strive one's hardest; to spare no effort	HSK 4
力气	lìqi	physical strength	HSK 4
精力	jīnglì	energy (physical or mental)	HSK 4
智力	zhìlì	intelligence; intellect	HSK 4
有力	yǒulì	powerful; forceful	HSK 5
活力	huólì	energy; vitality	HSK 5

力 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ把bǎ我wǒ自zì己jǐ用yòng力lì拉lā了le起qǐ来lái。

I heaved myself up.

我wǒ觉jué得de他tā是shì一yí个gè有yǒu能néng力lì的de人rén。

I think he's a man of ability.

有yǒu人rén说shuō你nǐ是shì个gè很hěn有yǒu能néng力lì的de人rén。

I've been told that you're a very competent person.

他tā有yǒu能néng力lì比bǐ我wǒ做zuò得de更gèng好hǎo。

He can do it better than I can.

我wǒ外wài父fù太tài老lǎo了le，听tīng力lì不bù好hǎo。

Because of his age, my grandfather doesn't hear well.

Characters that contain 力

Learning 力 makes these easier to recognize and write.

为wèibecause of 动dòngto move 加jiāto add 男nánmale 边biānside 办bànto take care of 伤shāngto injure 助zhùto help 另lìngother 务wùaffairs 功gōngmeritorious deed or…历lìhistory 勒lēito strap tightly 努nǔto exert 劳láoto labor 勇yǒngbrave 動dòngto move 势shìpower

Questions about 力

How many strokes are in 力?

力 is written with 2 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.

What does 力 mean?

力 (lì) means power; force; strength. A common word with it is 努力 (nǔlì), meaning "to make an effort; to try hard; to strive; hard-working; conscientious".

How do you pronounce 力?

力 is pronounced lì, in the fourth tone (falling).

Is 力 on the HSK exam?

Yes. 力 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.

Why is 力 in the word for chocolate, 巧克力?

巧克力 (qiǎokèlì) is a sound loanword, so 力 is used only for its sound "lì" and adds no meaning of strength. The three characters together imitate the English word chocolate.

How do I say "I am under a lot of pressure" using 力?

You can say 我压力很大 (wǒ yālì hěn dà), literally "my pressure is very big." Chinese uses 大 (dà, big) with 压力 rather than a verb like "under."