天理 (tiān lǐ) — heavenly principle; natural law (the moral orde… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A Neo-Confucian and literary term: the moral order of the universe, often invoked as 'divine justice' that punishes wrongdoing (e.g. 天理不容).

noun

heavenly principlenatural law (the moral order of the universe)justicedivine justice (as in cosmic retribution)

Examples

，天理？
Tā zuò le nà me duō huài shì, jiù bú pà tiān lǐ bù róng ma?
He's done so many bad things — isn't he afraid heaven's justice won't tolerate it?
天理，。
Sòng míng lǐ xué qiáng diào cún tiān lǐ, qù rén yù.
Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism emphasizes preserving heavenly principle and eliminating human desire.
，天理。
Zhè zhǒng bú xiào de xíng wéi, jiǎn zhí tiān lǐ nán róng.
This kind of unfilial behavior is simply intolerable to heavenly justice.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

理lǐprinciple

Heaven and principle combine to mean the moral law of the universe.

Characters in this word

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

丁dīng天tiān

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

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

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

里

里lǐ理lǐ

Same sound today

理 pairs 玉 (jade) with 里, which shows how to say it; the jade part points to the old sense of polishing jade.

Appears in

Abstract Concepts

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