Chinese word

力气

Pronunciation

Pinyinlì qì

Meaning

  • nounstrength

Example

我没有力气了，要休息。wǒ méi yǒu lì qì le yào xiū xī

I have no strength left, so I need to rest.

Illustration for 力气 (strength)

More examples

她跑完马拉松，已经用尽力气。tā pǎo wán mǎ lā sōng yǐ jīng yòng jìn lì qì

After finishing the marathon, she has already used up all her strength.

Core concept

The bodily reserve that powers physical work or sustained action.

Common phrases

  • 很有力气hěn yǒu lì qì

    be very strong

  • 出点力气chū diǎn lì qì

    put in some effort

  • 用尽力气yòng jìn lì qì

    use up all one's strength

Similar words

体力tǐ lì: Physical stamina that allows continued exercise or work.
力量lì liàng: The amount of force used to move something or accomplish a task.
精力jīng lì: Mental and physical energy available for activity or work.
劲儿jìnr: A colloquial expression for force or drive exerted at a particular moment.

Definition in Chinese

表示做体力劳动或完成事情时所需的体力、气力与劳力。biǎo shì zuò tǐ lì láo dòng huò wán chéng shì qíng shí suǒ xū de tǐ lì qì lì yǔ láo lì

Word origin

力 (lì, "strength") + 气 (qì, "breath and energy") joins bodily power with the energy that puts it to work, forming an everyday noun for usable physical power.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, verbs such as 花 (huā, "spend") and 费 (fèi, "use up") can frame this noun as a resource, whereas English usually uses a different verb pattern.

Other meanings

  • forcenoun
  • effortnoun
  • energynoun

Related words

Word lists with this word