力

Mandarin · pinyin lì#

Meanings · lì

  1. power
  2. force
  3. strength
  4. ability
  5. strenuously
Mandarin · pinyin Lì#

Meanings · Lì

  1. surname Li
Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

力
lì · power, capability, influence; Kangxi radical 19
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4 · li4

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

1character link128same-tone records
Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

力 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

lik6

Cantonese word readings for 力. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character

  1. physical strength; physical power; energy
  2. force; strength; power
  3. (physics) force
  4. ability; capability
  5. power and influence; might
  6. (literary) to make an effort; to strive; to endeavor; to work hard
  7. with all one's might; doing all in one's power
  8. a surname, Li

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack