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礼仪 (lǐ yí) — etiquette, courteous behavior in social settings; ceremony, formal rites and rituals

Definition

礼仪 is the abstract, cultural concept of etiquette and proper conduct (as in 礼仪之邦). 礼节 is closer to 'rules of politeness' in specific interactions, while 仪式/典礼/庆典 are the actual events or ceremonies themselves.

noun
etiquette, courteous behavior in social settingsceremonyformal rites and rituals

Examples

  • ，礼仪。
    Zài shāng wù chǎng hé, zūn shǒu lǐ yí hěn zhòng yào.
    In business settings, observing etiquette is very important.
  • 礼仪。
    Chuán tǒng hūn lǐ de lǐ yí fēi cháng fù zá.
    The ceremony of a traditional wedding is very complicated.
  • 礼仪，礼仪。
    Zhōng guó shì lǐ yí zhī bāng, rén rén jiǎng jiu lǐ yí.
    China is a land of rites and propriety, and everyone values etiquette.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

礼lǐpropriety
仪yíceremony

礼 and 仪 both point to formal courtesy and ceremony, so the word means etiquette.

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.

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 →

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 儀; 仪 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
義
義yì儀yí
Same sound today

In the traditional form 儀, the left part 亻 shows a person, and the right part 義 supplies the sound. This description is about 儀, not the simplified 仪.

Open 仪 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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