TraceHanzi

意志 meaning in English

yìzhì

will; willpower; determination

HSK 5noun20 strokes

Meaning of 意志

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

yìzhì
  1. will; willpower; determination

How to use 意志

意志 is a noun for inner strength and resolve, often in set phrases like 意志坚强 (strong-willed) or 意志力 (willpower). It sounds somewhat formal and is common in writing, speeches and news. Example: 她的意志很坚强。(Tā de yìzhì hěn jiānqiáng.) She has a very strong will.

意 (yì) has 心 (xīn, heart) at the bottom, and 志 (zhì) also has 心 at the bottom with 士 on top. Two hearts set on one goal give you 意志, a strong will.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse 志 (zhì) with 忘 (wàng, to forget), since both have 心 at the bottom. 志 has 士 on top, while 忘 has 亡 on top. Also note both syllables are fourth tone: yìzhì.

意志 in example sentences

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

你nǐ的de意yì志zhì力lì很hěn强qiáng。
You've got a strong will.
他tā是shì个gè自zì由yóu意yì志zhì主zhǔ义yì者zhě。
He's a libertarian.
德dé意yì志zhì联lián邦bāng共gòng和hé国guó建jiàn立lì于yú1949年nián。
The Federal Republic of Germany was established in 1949.
灵líng魂hún是shì由yóu理lǐ性xìng、意yì志zhì和hé情qíng欲yù构gòu成chéng的de。
The soul is made up of reason, determination, and passion.
他tā仅jǐn凭píng借jiè精jīng神shén力lì量liàng和hé意yì志zhì力lì就jiù达dá到dào了le他tā所suǒ想xiǎng要yào的de生shēng活huó。
He got where he wanted to be in life by just using his raw mental strength and willpower.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

意 yì · thought · 13 strokes

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13

志 zhì · determination · 7 strokes

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7

Related words

Words that share a character with 意志.

意思yìsiidea; opinion
愿意yuànyìto wish; to want
不好意思bù hǎoyìsito feel embarrassed; to find it embarrassing
有意思yǒu yìsiinteresting; meaningful
意见yìjiànidea; opinion
满意mǎnyìsatisfied; pleased
故意gùyìdeliberately; on purpose
注意zhùyìto take note of; to pay attention to
同意tóngyìto agree; to consent
主意zhǔyiplan; idea
生意shēngyilife force; vitality
意外yìwàiunexpected; accident

Questions about 意志

What does 意志 mean?

意志 (yìzhì) means "will; willpower; determination" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 意志?

意志 is made of 2 characters: 意 (13 strokes), 志 (7 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.

Is 意志 an HSK word?

Yes. 意志 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 意志 and 决心?

意志 is a general trait, your inner strength over time. 决心 (juéxīn) is the determination to do one specific thing, and it can also be a verb, as in 我决心学好中文 (I am determined to learn Chinese well).

How do I say willpower in Chinese?

Use 意志力 (yìzhìlì), adding 力 (lì, strength). For example, 减肥需要意志力 (jiǎnféi xūyào yìzhìlì) means losing weight takes willpower.

总算Previous in HSK 5zǒngsuàn