礼 (lǐ): abbr. for 禮記|礼记, Classic of Rites, gift, rite
礼 (lǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “gift.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 礻 (semantic) and 乚 (phonetic). It ranks #926 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 礼 spirit. Its radical form 礻 (spirit) appears in many related characters such as 票 (piào, ticket), 视 (shì, (literary, or bound form) to look at), 示 (shì, to show).
Definitions
- abbr. for 禮記|礼记, Classic of Rites
- gift
- rite
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 礼 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 礼
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 礼物noun | lǐ wù | gift | 3 |
| 婚礼noun | hūn lǐ | wedding ceremony | 5 |
| 礼貌noun/adjective | lǐ mào | courtesy | 4 |
| 典礼noun | diǎn lǐ | ceremony | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 葬礼noun | zàng lǐ | burial |
| 礼拜noun | lǐ bài | to attend a religious service |
| 礼服noun | lǐ fú | ceremonial robe |
| 无礼verb | wú lǐ | rude |
| 敬礼verb | jìng lǐ | to salute |
| 洗礼noun | xǐ lǐ | (lit. and fig.) baptism |
| 失礼verb | shī lǐ | to act discourteously |
| 晚礼服noun | wǎn lǐ fú | evening dress |
| 礼节noun | lǐ jié | etiquette |
| 礼仪noun | lǐ yí | etiquette |
| 礼堂noun | lǐ táng | assembly hall |
| 礼品noun | lǐ pǐn | gift |
| 礼拜堂noun | lǐ bài táng | chapel |
| 礼拜天noun | lǐ bài tiān | Sunday |
| 礼拜五noun | lǐ bài wǔ | Friday |
礼 appears in 101 compound words: 42 as the first character, 53 as the last, and 5 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 礼 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (20)
feudal system collapses and rites and music deteriorate; social order collapses and morals deteriorate
feudal system collapses and rites and music deteriorate; social order collapses and morals deteriorate
Showing 12 of 20 idioms containing 礼.
Example Sentences
礼字虽然难写，但意思很有趣。
lǐ zì suī rán nán xiě , dàn yì sī hěn yǒu qù .
The character for "courtesy" may be difficult to write, but its meaning is quite interesting.
医疗辅助队总参事黄英强涉非礼女子被控 准以1万元保释至4.28再讯
yī liáo fǔ zhù duì zǒng cān shì huáng yīng qiáng shè fēi lǐ nǚ zǐ bèi kòng zhǔn yǐ 1 wàn yuán bǎo shì zhì 4 . 2 8 zài xùn
Auxiliary Medical Service Chief Counsellor Huang Yingqiang was charged with indecent assault on a woman and was released on bail of $10,000 until April 28 for further trial
男生小便后甩一甩是社交礼仪吗?避免滴漏体现个人卫生吗
nán shēng xiǎo biàn hòu shuǎi yī shuǎi shì shè jiāo lǐ yí ma ? bì miǎn dī lòu tǐ xiàn gè rén wèi shēng ma
Is it social etiquette for a boy to shake after urinating? Avoiding dripping reflects personal hygiene
中钢举办新春开泰祈福典礼 董事长:“稳定获利”是今年最重要的目标
zhōng gāng jǔ bàn xīn chūn kāi tài qí fú diǎn lǐ dǒng shì cháng : wěn dìng huò lì shì jīn nián zuì chóng yāo de mù biāo
China Steel held a New Year opening ceremony Chairman: "Stable profits" is the most important goal this year
...?特朗普15%全球关税为中国送上“减税大礼”,英法日德成“最大输家”-FX168
. . . ? tè lǎng pǔ 1 5 quán qiú guān shuì wéi zhōng guó sòng shàng jiǎn shuì dà lǐ , yīng fǎ rì dé chéng zuì dà shū jiā F X 1 6 8
...? Trump's 15% global tariff has sent a "tax cut gift" to China, and Britain, France and Japan have become the "biggest losers" - FX168
TACO老招没在怕?网笑“周一开盘大礼包”
T A C O lǎo zhāo méi zài pà ? wǎng xiào zhōu yī kāi pán dà lǐ bāo
Are you not afraid of TACO tricks? Internet laughter "Monday opening gift package"
礼物？给我的？多谢多谢！
Lǐwù? gěi wǒ de? duōxiè duōxiè!
A present? For me? Thank you!
我们老师确实很讲究礼节，不是吗？
Wǒmen lǎoshī quèshí hěn jiǎngjiu lǐjié, bùshìma?
Our teacher really stands on ceremony, doesn't she?
你们这里有礼品店吗？
Nǐmen zhèlǐ yǒu lǐpǐn diàn ma?
Do you have a gift shop here?
为什么你送给他这个礼物？
Wèishénme nǐ sònggěi tā zhège lǐwù?
Why did you give him this gift?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 礼 (lǐ) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 礼 have?
What is the radical of 礼?
What are the components of 礼?
What are common words containing 礼?
What characters sound the same as 礼 (lǐ)?
Is 礼 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 礼 with real-time feedback
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