HSK 5 · Ideas

本领 běnlǐng “skill” in Chinese

Said as bénlǐng

Traditional 本領

What 本领 means

  1. skill
  2. ability
  3. capability

Measure word 项 xiàng or 个 gè · 一项本领 yí xiàng běnlǐng

How to say 本领

  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale本běn3rd tone, dipping
  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale领lǐng3rd tone, dipping

Said as bénlǐng. When two third tones meet, the first one rises into a second tone. You still write it with two third tones. How tone changes work

本领 in a sentence

  1. 游泳是一种很有用的本领。

    Yóuyǒng shì yì zhǒng hěn yǒuyòng de běnlǐng.

    Swimming is a very useful skill.

    Sentence by WillyChina

  2. 他在国外学到了很多本领。

    Tā zài guówài xuédào le hěn duō běnlǐng.

    He learnt a lot of skills overseas.

    Sentence by WillyChina

How 本领 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 本 (běn) with each of its parts in a different colour
本běnroot; stem
  • 木tree · mù
  • 一one · yī

Memory aidA tree 木 with a mark 一 on its roots: root, origin.

The character 领 (lǐng) with each of its parts in a different colour
领lǐngneck
  • 令command · língSound part
  • 页page · xiéMeaning part

页 hints at the meaning (page); 令 (líng) hints at the sound. Compare it with lǐng.

How to write 本领

本 5 strokes · 领 11 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

本领 (běnlǐng) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 本领 (běnlǐng). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 本领

Words with 本

本běn · measure word for books本子běnzi · book课本kèběn · textbook笔记本bǐjìběn · notebook本来běnlái · original根本gēnběn · (not) at all本科běnkē · undergraduate course本质běnzhì · essence基本jīběn · basic本钱běnqián · capital

Words with 领

领导lǐngdǎo · leader领域lǐngyù · domain系领带jì lǐngdài · to tie a tie领土lǐngtǔ · territory领会lǐnghuì · to understand领悟lǐngwù · to comprehend带领dàilǐng · to lead领先lǐngxiān · to lead率领shuàilǐng · to lead纲领gānglǐng · guiding principles

More words: Ideas & Concepts

背景bèijǐng · background本质běnzhì · essence比例bǐlì · proportion标志biāozhì · sign表面biǎomiàn · surface宗旨zōngzhǐ · aim尊严zūnyán · dignity座右铭zuòyòumíng · motto

FAQs

本领 (běnlǐng) means “skill” or “ability”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it běnlǐng: běn with a 3rd tone, then lǐng with a 3rd tone. In speech it sounds like bénlǐng. When two third tones meet, the first one rises into a second tone. You still write it with two third tones. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 本领 is written 本領. The pronunciation is the same.
Use 项 (xiàng) or 个 (gè). For example, one skill is 一项本领 (yí xiàng běnlǐng).
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type benling with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 本领 from the suggestions. Typing benling into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
本领 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences written by WillyChina. Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.