势 meaning and stroke order
Power, force; tendency, attitude
How to write 势, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 势
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- power
- influence
- potential
- momentum
- tendency
- trend
How 势 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Strength.
力 gives the meaning and 执 hints at the sound.
Radical: 力 (strength), shared by 44 characters on this site.
How to remember 势
势 is built from 执 (zhí, to hold) on top of 力 (lì, strength). Picture someone holding real strength in their hands, and that held power is 势, power and momentum.
势 rarely stands alone in everyday speech. It mostly appears in words about power, trends, situations and body positions, such as 优势 (yōushì), 趋势 (qūshì), 形势 (xíngshì) and 姿势 (zīshì). Example: 这是一个新的趋势。(Zhè shì yí ge xīn de qūshì.) This is a new trend.
Common mistake: Learners often write the bottom as 九 or 刀 instead of 力, or mix up 势 with 热 (rè, hot), which has the same 执 top but four dots at the bottom. Remember that power needs 力 and heat needs fire dots.
Common words with 势
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 优势 | yōushì | superiority; dominance | HSK 3 |
| 形势 | xíngshì | circumstances; situation | HSK 4 |
| 趋势 | qūshì | trend; tendency | HSK 4 |
| 势力 | shìlì | power; influence | HSK 5 |
| 强势 | qiángshì | strong; powerful | HSK 6 |
| 姿势 | zīshì | posture; position | HSK 7-9 |
| 局势 | júshì | situation; state (of affairs) | HSK 7-9 |
| 手势 | shǒushì | gesture; sign; signal | HSK 7-9 |
| 伤势 | shāngshì | condition of an injury | HSK 7-9 |
| 气势 | qìshì | imposing manner; loftiness | HSK 7-9 |
| 劣势 | lièshì | inferior; disadvantaged | HSK 7-9 |
| 势头 | shìtou | power; momentum | HSK 7-9 |
| 架势 | jiàshi | attitude; position (on an issue etc) | HSK 7-9 |
| 顺势 | shùnshì | to take advantage; to seize an opportunity | HSK 7-9 |
势 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 势
How many strokes are in 势?
势 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 势 mean?
势 (shì) means power, force; tendency, attitude. A common word with it is 优势 (yōushì), meaning "superiority; dominance".
How do you pronounce 势?
势 is pronounced shì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 势?
The radical of 势 is 力, which carries the idea of "strength". Dictionaries list 势 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 势?
The traditional form of 势 is 勢. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 势 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 势 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 势 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 形势 and 局势?
Both mean situation. 形势 (xíngshì) is broader and can describe general conditions, like the economic situation. 局势 (júshì) usually refers to a tense political or military state of affairs.
How do you use 优势 in a sentence?
优势 (yōushì) means an advantage or strong point, and it often follows 有 or 占. For example, 他在比赛中占优势。(Tā zài bǐsài zhōng zhàn yōushì.) He has the upper hand in the match.