Meaning of 吃力
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to entail strenuous effort
- to toil at a task
- strenuous
- laborious
- strain
How to use 吃力
吃力 describes something that takes a lot of effort or causes strain, and it often follows 很 or 有点. It can describe the task or how the person feels doing it. Example: 他看中文报纸还有点吃力。(Tā kàn Zhōngwén bàozhǐ hái yǒudiǎn chīlì.) He still finds reading Chinese newspapers a bit of a struggle.
吃力 is literally "eat strength": 吃 (chī, to eat) plus 力 (lì, strength). Picture a task so hard that it eats up all your strength.
Common mistake: Learners mix up 吃力 with 努力 (nǔlì). 努力 means trying hard and is a positive quality, while 吃力 means something is hard and draining. Saying 他很吃力 does not praise him as hardworking. It means he is struggling.
吃力 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
吃 chī · to eat · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
力 lì · power · 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
Related words
Words that share a character with 吃力.
| 吃饭 | chīfàn | to have a meal; to eat |
| 好吃 | hǎochī | tasty; delicious |
| 努力 | nǔlì | to make an effort; to try hard; to strive; hard-working; conscientious |
| 力量 | lìliàng | power; force; strength |
| 能力 | nénglì | capability; ability |
| 压力 | yālì | pressure |
| 动力 | dònglì | motive power; (fig.) motivation; impetus |
| 实力 | shílì | strength |
| 听力 | tīnglì | hearing; listening ability |
| 巧克力 | qiǎokèlì | (loanword) chocolate |
| 尽力 | jìnlì | to strive one's hardest; to spare no effort |
| 吃惊 | chījīng | to be startled; to be shocked |
Questions about 吃力
What does 吃力 mean?
吃力 (chīlì) means "to entail strenuous effort; to toil at a task" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 吃力?
吃力 is made of 2 characters: 吃 (6 strokes), 力 (2 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 吃力 an HSK word?
Yes. 吃力 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 吃力不讨好 mean?
吃力不讨好 (chīlì bù tǎohǎo) is a common phrase for a thankless task. You work hard but get no credit or good result.
Is 吃力 the same as 累 (lèi)?
Not quite. 累 means tired, the feeling after effort. 吃力 describes the strain during the effort, as in 走路很吃力 (walking is a struggle).