Dictionary › 功力

功力

gōng lì

HSK 3.0 level 7-9 2-character word

功力 (gōng lì) means "merit; efficacy; competence". It is an HSK 3.0 level 7-9 word, and was not on the old six-level HSK list.

What 功力 means

1. merit
2. efficacy
3. competence
4. skill
5. power

The characters in 功力

• 功gōngmeritorious deed or service; achievement; result
• 力lìpower; force; strength

Sounds the same

Read gōng lì, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 功利utility
• 公立public (e.g. school, hospital)
• 公历Gregorian calendar; solar calendar

Go deeper

• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read gōng lì correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.