力

1. Physical Strength: Raw muscle, power, or endurance. This may refer to an inherent quality (power) or the application of that strength (effort/striving).

2. Capacity and Efficacy: Competence, resources, or the practical ability to effect change; in administrative or philosophical contexts, this may denote means or social standing.

3. Influence/Coercion: In political contexts, the capacity to lead or the use of force.

Primarily functions as a noun, but can operate as a verb meaning "to employ strength" or "to strive." Frequently pairs with verbs of expenditure or exhaustion (e.g., 盡力, 用力). References to the limits of one's 力 may be either physical (inability to lift) or circumstantial (lack of means).

• vs. 勢 (shì): Internal strength or exerted effort (力) versus situational power, momentum, or strategic positioning (勢).
• vs. 權 (quán): Capacity for action or force (力) versus authority, delegated power, or the legal right to act (權).
• vs. 氣 (qì): The application of energy into tangible work or tension (力) versus vital essence or breath (氣).

Tang-period reading: *liək.

Kangxi radical 19. As a component in other glyphs, it typically signals an element of striving, forcing, tension, or exertion.

The sense of "influence" varies by school of thought: Legalist contexts often emphasize coercion and the hard application of state power, while Confucian contexts more frequently refer to capability, merit, or the effort involved in self-cultivation.