Wěi lì literally combines wěi (great, mighty, extraordinary) and lì (power, force, strength). Together, it denotes a profound, awe-inspiring power — often with connotations of grandeur, moral authority, or natural dominance. It’s more literary and formal than everyday words like lìliàng (strength), and appears frequently in political rhetoric, historical narratives, and descriptions of nature or heroic figures.

This term carries positive, elevated associations — rarely used for brute physical force alone. You’ll encounter it in phrases like 人民的伟力 (the great power of the people) or when describing the unstoppable force of tectonic shifts, ocean currents, or collective human effort. It implies both scale and dignity, and is seldom used in casual speech or to describe ordinary objects or individuals.