厉害

• Pinyin: lì hai
• Hanzi breakdown: 厉 = 厂 (cliff) + 万 (ten thousand), stern/fierce; 害 = 宀 (roof) + 丰 + 口, to harm

Meaning

Powerful; severe; impressive; awesome. Describes intensity, ability, or seriousness.

Highly versatile word. Can be positive (impressive, skilled, awesome) or negative (severe, intense, terrible). Context determines meaning: 你太厉害了 (you're amazing) vs. 病得很厉害 (severely ill). One of the most common colloquial intensifiers.

Examples

1. 他打篮球太厉害了，每场比赛都能得很多分。 He is so good at basketball; he scores a lot of points in every game.
2. 今天的风刮得特别厉害，把树都吹倒了。 The wind was blowing extremely hard today and knocked down trees.
3. 你别惹她，她生气起来很厉害的。 Don't mess with her; she's fierce when she gets angry.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, praise, description

Tone: varies

Do Say

• 你也太厉害了吧！(You're way too impressive!)
• 这次考试难得很厉害。(This exam was extremely difficult.)

Don't Say

• 您的演讲很厉害。(In formal contexts with superiors, use 精彩 or 出色 — 厉害 is too casual)

Origin & History

厉 (lì, fierce/stern) + 害 (hài, harm). Originally meant fierce and harmful, evolved to mean intense in any direction.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal