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行礼 (xíng lǐ) — to salute; to perform a ceremony; to present gifts (as part of a ceremony)

Definition

行礼 means to perform a formal, ritualized gesture of respect (a bow, salute, or salute-like act) — usually part of a ceremony or greeting an elder. As a verb phrase, 行 pairs with 礼 rather than functioning like the standalone verb 礼.

verb
to saluteto perform a ceremonyto present gifts (as part of a ceremony)

Examples

  • 行礼。
    Tā xiàng wǒ xíng le yí gè xíng lǐ.
    He saluted me.
  • ，行礼。
    Hūn lǐ shàng, xīn rén yào xiàng zhǎng bèi xíng lǐ.
    At the wedding, the newlyweds must bow to the elders.
  • ，行礼。
    Zài gǔ dài, rén men xíng lǐ shí huì zèng sòng lǐ wù.
    In ancient times, people would present gifts when performing ceremonies.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

行xíngperform
礼lǐrite

行 means to perform, and 礼 means rite or ceremony: performing a rite or salute.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 禮; 礼 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
礻Written in full as示shìaltar
Sound part声符shēngfú
豊
豊lǐ禮lǐ
Same sound today

The traditional form 禮 pairs 礻 (altar) with 豊, a sound part, for performing rites at the altar; the simplified 礼 is a later shorthand.

Open 礼 →
Appears in
Greetings & Politeness

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