礼 (lǐ) — (bound form) ritual, ceremony; (bound form) courtesy, etiquette, manners; (bound form) gift, present
Definition
礼 (lǐ) is a bound morpheme — it almost never stands alone. Read as 'ritual/etiquette/gift' only inside compounds like 礼物 (gift), 礼貌 (manners), 典礼 (ceremony), 礼节 (etiquette).
bound form
ritualceremonycourtesyetiquettemannersgiftpresent
Examples
- ，。Zhè fèn lǐ wù suī rán bú guì, dàn chéng yì hěn zhòng yào.This gift may not be expensive, but sincerity is very important.
- 。Xīn yuán gōng xū yào xué xí gōng sī de lǐ jié.New employees need to learn the company's etiquette.
- 。Bì yè diǎn lǐ zài liù yuè jǔ xíng.The graduation ceremony takes place in June.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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.
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.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.