Writing
无能为力 (wú néng wéi lì) — how to say "powerless" in Chinese
无能
为力
Powerless, unable to help
Character composition
无
not have, without
能
ability, can
为
to do, to act
力
strength, power
Radicals / Keys
无
Not
#71 · wú · 4 strokes
肉
Meat
#130 · ròu · 6 strokes
丶
Dot
#3 · zhǔ · 1 stroke
力
Power
#19 · lì · 2 strokes
Collocations
无能为力的事
wú néng wéi lì de shì
something beyond one's power
感到无能为力
gǎndào wú néng wéi lì
feel powerless
Examples
面对这个问题，我感到无能为力。
Faced with this problem, I feel powerless.
我无能为力。
I am powerless.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "powerless" in Chinese?
"powerless" in Chinese is 无能为力 (wú néng wéi lì).
无能为力 meaning in English
无能为力 (wú néng wéi lì) means "Powerless, unable to help".
How is 无能为力 pronounced?
It is pronounced wú néng wéi lì (written as wu neng wei li, wunengweili). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "powerless" in Chinese characters?
It is written 无能为力: 无 has 4 strokes, 能 has 10 strokes, 为 has 4 strokes, 力 has 2 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 无能为力?
无能为力 belongs to the HSK 6 vocabulary list.
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