Chinese word

气势

Pronunciation

Pinyinqì shì

Meaning

  • nounforce

Example

他讲话很有气势。tā jiǎng huà hěn yǒu qì shì

He speaks with great force.

Illustration for 气势 (force)

More examples

舞台上，演员的表演充满气势。wǔ tái shàng yǎn yuán de biáo yǎn chōng mǎn qì shì

On stage, the actor's performance was full of force.

Core concept

Outward force that makes a person, action, or scene feel powerful, commanding, and hard to ignore.

Common phrases

  • 气势汹汹qì shì xiōng xiōng

    menacingly

  • 很有气势hěn yǒu qì shì

    very forceful

Similar words

气魄qì pò: The bold courage and generous spirit that make someone face things with an imposing presence.
势头shì tou: A strong trend in the progress of something that shows movement likely to continue.
威势wēi shì: The imposing authority and dignity that power gives someone or something.
声势shēng shì: Visible force in an action or expression that attracts attention and creates pressure around it.

Definition in Chinese

表示说话、动作或场面给人的威力、气魄和推动感，常用于形容人的气焰或场面的气氛。biǎo shì shuō huà dòng zuò huò chǎng miàn gěi rén de wēi lì qì pò hé tuī dòng gǎn cháng yòng yú xíng róng rén de qì yàn huò chǎng miàn de qì fēn

Word origin

气 (qì, "air or spirit") + 势 (shì, "power or momentum") presents power as an outward-moving force.

Usage tips

  • For a person, this noun describes the effect projected outward, not a private feeling, so a quiet speaker can still have it on stage.

Other meanings

  • presencenoun
  • fighting spiritnoun
  • intimidationnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 气势汹汹qì shì xiōng xiōngmenacingidiom
  • 气势恢宏qì shì huī hónggrand and imposingidiom
  • 气势磅礴qì shì páng bómajestic and powerfulidiom

Word lists with this word