犁 (lí) — (noun) plow (farming implement); (verb) to plow

Definition

noun
plow (farming implement)
verb
to plow
Measure word · 部
Easily confused

Examples

  • 犁。
    Zhè bǎ lí hěn zhòng.
    This plow is very heavy.
  • ，。
    Chūn tiān dào le, nóng mín kāi shǐ lí tián.
    Spring has arrived, farmers start plowing the fields.
  • 犁。
    Tā huā le yì tiān shí jiān lí wán nà kuài dì.
    He spent a day plowing that plot of land.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
牛牛niúcow
Sound part声符shēngfú
利
利lì犁lí
Same sound today

犁 pairs 牛 (cow) with 利, which supplies the sound.

Appears in
Agriculture & Farming

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