权利 meaning in English
right (i.e. an entitlement to sth); (classical) power and wealth
Meaning of 权利
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- right (i.e. an entitlement to sth)
- (classical) power and wealth
How to use 权利
权利 is used for legal, civil, and personal rights, often in formal or written Chinese. It frequently appears with verbs like 有 (yǒu, to have), 享有 (xiǎngyǒu, to enjoy), and 保护 (bǎohù, to protect). Example: 每个人都有受教育的权利。(Měi gè rén dōu yǒu shòu jiàoyù de quánlì.) Everyone has the right to education.
权 (quán) means authority or power, and 利 (lì) means benefit or advantage, the same 利 you see in 利益 (lìyì). Put them together and a 权利 is the benefit you are entitled to by authority: a right.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 权利 (quánlì, a right) with 权力 (quánlì, power or authority). They sound exactly the same, but 权力 uses 力 (lì, strength) and refers to control over others, while 权利 uses 利 and refers to an entitlement.
权利 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.
权 quán · authority · 6 strokes
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利 lì · sharp · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 权利.
| 顺利 | shùnlì | smoothly; without a hitch |
| 流利 | liúlì | fluent |
| 利用 | lìyòng | to exploit; to make use of |
| 胜利 | shènglì | victory |
| 有利 | yǒulì | advantageous; favorable |
| 利益 | lìyì | benefit; (in sb's) interest |
| 利息 | lìxī | interest (on a loan) |
| 不利 | bùlì | unfavorable; disadvantageous |
| 利润 | lìrùn | profits |
| 福利 | fúlì | benefit (provided by an employer or organization); (social) welfare |
| 专利 | zhuānlì | patent; sth uniquely enjoyed (or possessed etc) by a certain group of people |
| 便利 | biànlì | convenient; easy |
Questions about 权利
What does 权利 mean?
权利 (quánlì) means "right (i.e. an entitlement to sth); (classical) power and wealth" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 权利?
权利 is made of 2 characters: 权 (6 strokes), 利 (7 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 权利 an HSK word?
Yes. 权利 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 权利 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 权利 is written 權利.
How do you say 'rights and obligations' in Chinese?
The common pairing is 权利和义务 (quánlì hé yìwù). 义务 (yìwù) means duty or obligation, and the two words are often mentioned together in legal and civic contexts.
Can 权利 be used in casual everyday speech?
Yes, though it sounds a bit serious. People say things like 你没有权利这样做 (nǐ méiyǒu quánlì zhèyàng zuò), meaning 'you have no right to do this,' in arguments or complaints.