What Does 厉害 (lì hai) Mean in Chinese?
Traditional: 厲害Reviewed context lessonCommon
Impressive / Intense / Severe
Quick answer: What does 厉害 mean?
厉害 — Describes something strikingly strong. Praise or criticism depends on what it modifies and how it is said.
✓That’s impressive!
✓Very intense or severe.
✓Strong or formidable.
What Chinese people actually mean
真厉害 praises skill in many conversations, but 厉害 can also describe severe pain, heavy rain, or a strict person. Do not translate every use as “awesome.”
Tone and formality
Usually admiring, but can be ironic with a sarcastic tone.
Conversational praise; context matters in formal settings.
Chinese characters
Open each character to see its own meanings and vocabulary links.
厉lìstrict · severe害haiMeaning in this word: context-dependent
Real conversations
1 · Praising a skill
A: 她一个月就学会了这么多字。
tā yí ge yuè jiù xuéhuì le zhème duō zì.
A: She learned this many characters in just a month.
B: 真厉害！
zhēn lì hai!
B: That’s impressive!
2 · Describing severity
A: 外面雨下得厉害吗？
wàimiàn yǔ xià de lì hai ma?
A: Is it raining hard outside?
B: 挺厉害的，等会儿再走吧。
tǐng lì hai de, děng huìr zài zǒu ba.
B: Pretty hard. Let’s leave a little later.
How to pronounce 厉害
厉害
Tap to hear Mandarin.
When to use it
✓With a person’s achievement, it is often praise.
✓With pain, weather, or conflict, it describes intensity.
✓The same word can sound admiring, worried, or critical.
Sources and editorial note
Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.Context lesson: Original Chinese Meaning context lesson; examples written for this site.