势 shì power
power; force; tendency
How to remember 势: 执 hold on to + 力 power = power. The little boy tries to hold on to the leash, but the big dog uses all its power and drags him across the park by sheer power.
Component breakdown
势 = 执 hold on to + 力 power
- 执 hold on to
- 力 power
The little boy tries to hold on to the leash, but the big dog uses all its power and drags him across the park by sheer power.
How it is used
- Bound root for "force, tendency, condition" - builds abstract nouns like 形势 xíngshì "the situation/circumstances" and 趋势 qūshì "trend", both common in news and analysis.
- 优势 yōushì "advantage" and 劣势 lièshì "disadvantage" are the standard pair for comparing strengths and weaknesses.
- 姿势 zīshì "posture, pose" and 手势 shǒushì "hand gesture" are the concrete, everyday members of this family - physical rather than abstract.
Words with 势
- 优势yōushìsuperiorityHSK 5
- 姿势zīshìpostureHSK 5
- 形势xíngshìcircumstancesHSK 5
- 趋势qūshìtrendHSK 5
- 势力shìlìpowerHSK 6
- 手势shǒushìgestureHSK 6
- 伤势shāngshìcondition of an injuryHSK 8
- 劣势lièshìinferiorHSK 8
- 势不可当shìbùkědāngimpossible to resist (idiom)HSK 8
- 势头shìtoupowerHSK 8
- 势必shìbìto be bound toHSK 8
- 地势dìshìterrainHSK 8
- 声势shēngshìfame and powerHSK 8
- 局势júshìsituationHSK 8
- 弱势ruòshìvulnerableHSK 8
- 强势qiángshìstrongHSK 8
- 态势tàishìpostureHSK 8
- 攻势gōngshìoffensiveHSK 8
- 架势jiàshiattitudeHSK 9
- 气势qìshìimposing mannerHSK 9
- 走势zǒushìtendencyHSK 9
- 顺势shùnshìto take advantageHSK 9