精力 meaning in English

jīnglì

energy (physical or mental)

HSK 4noun16 strokes

Meaning of 精力

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

jīnglì

energy (physical or mental)

How to use 精力

精力 is the amount of energy a person has, often paired with verbs like 花 (huā, spend), 集中 (jízhōng, focus) or 有 (yǒu, have). It is common in talk about work, study and time management. Example: 我把精力都放在学习上。(Wǒ bǎ jīnglì dōu fàng zài xuéxí shàng.) I put all my energy into studying.

精 (jīng) means refined essence and 力 (lì) means strength. Your 精力 is the pure, concentrated strength you have to spend on work or study.

Common mistake: Learners often use 精力 for physical energy like electricity or fuel. That meaning is 能源 (néngyuán) or 能量 (néngliàng), while 精力 only describes a person's energy. Do not confuse it with 精神 (jīngshén), which means spirit or mood, as in 很有精神 (lively, in good spirits).

精力 in example sentences

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

我wǒ在zài这zhè项xiàng计jì划huà上shàng投tóu入rù了le所suǒ有yǒu精jīng力lì。

I've put all of my energy into this plan.

已yǐ经jīng花huā费fèi了le很hěn多duō的de时shí间jiān和hé精jīng力lì。

A considerable amount of time and effort have been spent already.

她tā似sì乎hū把bǎ自zì己jǐ所suǒ有yǒu的de精jīng力lì都dōu投tóu入rù到dào了le事shì业yè上shàng。

She seems to devote all her effects to her career.

他tā把bǎ全quán部bù精jīng力lì放fàng到dào实shí验yàn中zhōng了le。

All his energies were devoted to the experiment.

你nǐ如rú果guǒ能néng把bǎ全quán副fù精jīng力lì放fàng进jìn去qù，要yào学xué会huì英yīng文wén并bìng不bú是shì难nán事shì。

If you concentrate all your energies on the study of English, you will master the language.

Stroke order for each character

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

精 jīng · essence · 14 strokes

力 lì · power · 2 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 精力.

努力	nǔlì	to make an effort; to try hard; to strive; hard-working; conscientious
力量	lìliàng	power; force; strength
精神	jīngshén	spirit; mind
能力	nénglì	capability; ability
压力	yālì	pressure
精彩	jīngcǎi	wonderful; marvelous
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
力气	lìqi	physical strength

Questions about 精力

What does 精力 mean?

精力 (jīnglì) means "energy (physical or mental)" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 精力?

精力 is made of 2 characters: 精 (14 strokes), 力 (2 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.

Is 精力 an HSK word?

Yes. 精力 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How do I say someone is very energetic using 精力?

Say 精力充沛 (jīnglì chōngpèi), meaning full of energy. For example: 他每天都精力充沛。(Tā měitiān dōu jīnglì chōngpèi.) He is full of energy every day.

What is the difference between 精力 and 力气?

力气 (lìqi) is raw physical strength, like the strength to lift a box. 精力 is overall stamina for physical and mental effort over time, like the energy to work long hours.