压力
HSK 4 (exam 2025)HSK 3 (2021)Old HSK 4
压力 (yālì) · pressure
压力 (yālì) means “pressure; stress”. It is written with 2 characters: 压 (to press) + 力 (strength). It is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 压力 is built
The characters
压 yā · to press
What 压 is made of
- 厂chǎng — "cliff" in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 27)
- 土tǔ — earth
- 十 — ten
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 十 — ten
- 丶 — dot
Origin hint: Soil 土 crushed under pressure 厂 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
力 lì · strength
What 力 is made of
- 丿 — falling stroke
Origin hint: A plow's head representing strength (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
最近我的工作压力很大。Zuìjìn wǒ de gōngzuò yālì hěn dà.I've been under a lot of pressure at work lately.
你有学习压力吗？Nǐ yǒu xuéxí yālì ma?Do you feel pressure from your studies?
Questions about 压力
What does 压力 mean?
压力 (yālì) means “pressure; stress”.
How do you pronounce 压力?
压力 is pronounced yālì.
Which HSK level is 压力?
压力 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and HSK 3 (2021) and Old HSK 4.
Related words
- 气压qìyāair pressure
- 血压xuèyāblood pressure
- 压迫yāpòto oppress
- 压岁钱yāsuìqiánNew Year money (gift to children)
- 压缩yāsuōto compress
- 压抑yāyìto hold back (feelings)
- 压榨yāzhàto squeeze
- 压制yāzhìto suppress
- 压yāto press
- 努力nǔlìto work hard
Learn 压力 with its group
It is part of HSK 3 (2021) · Group 39: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.