理应 (lǐ yīng) — (aux.) ought to; should (by principle or logic)

Definition

理应 (lǐyīng) means 'ought to' by logic or principle — stronger and more formal than 应该, which is plain 'should'. Used in writing or principled statements, not casual speech.

auxiliary verb
(aux.) ought toshould (by principle or logic)

Examples

  • ，理应。
    Zuò wéi gōng mín, wǒ men lǐ yīng zūn shǒu fǎ lǜ.
    As citizens, we ought to obey the law.
  • 。
    Zhè jiàn shì lǐ yīng yóu fù zé rén lái chǔ lǐ.
    This matter should be handled by the person in charge.
  • 理应。
    Nǐ lǐ yīng wèi cǐ shì dào qiàn.
    You ought to apologize for this matter.

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/reason
应yìngshould

理 means principle or reason, and 应 means should; together they mean ought to by reason.

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
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.

Open 理 →

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 應; 应 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
䧹
䧹䧹應yìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 應 pairs 心 (heart) with 䧹 as a sound part; the simplified 应 is a later shorthand and its parts are not the original components.

Open 应 →

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