HSK Guide

能力 nénglì — ability, capability

nénglì (second tone, rising)neng2li4

ability, capability

HSK 4· HSK 1–4 (classic)nounMeasure word 种
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Meanings

  1. ability, capability

    能, to be able, turned into a noun with 力, strength — the capacity itself, not the single act of being allowed to do something. 能 is the auxiliary verb in a sentence, "can"; 能力 is what that "can" is built on.

    noun

Character breakdown

  • 力
    lì (fourth tone, falling)

    strength, power; force; effort

    2 strokesRadical 力

Example sentences

  • 这个工作需要很强的能力。這個工作需要很強的能力。Zhège (fourth tone, falling) gōngzuò (first tone, high and level) xūyào (first tone, high and level) hěn (third tone, dipping) qiáng (second tone, rising) de (neutral tone) nénglì. (second tone, rising)···

    This job requires very strong abilities.

  • 经过这几年的锻炼，他的能力提高了很多。經過這幾年的鍛煉，他的能力提高了很多。Jīngguò (first tone, high and level) zhè (fourth tone, falling) jǐ (third tone, dipping) nián (second tone, rising) de (neutral tone) duànliàn, (fourth tone, falling) tā (first tone, high and level) de (neutral tone) nénglì (second tone, rising) tígāole (second tone, rising) hěn (third tone, dipping) duō. (first tone, high and level)···

    After these years of practice, his abilities have improved a great deal.

Common mistakes

  • Not quite他很能力，做什么都很好。

    Correct他很有能力，做什么都很好。

    能力 is a noun and cannot follow 很 directly the way an adjective can. It needs 有 to become a predicate — 很有能力, very capable — the same shape as 有礼貌 or 有耐心.

Similar words

Words containing 力