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礼物 (lǐ wù) — gift, present

Definition

The everyday word for 'gift' — a physical thing you give someone. 礼品 is more formal, used in business or writing; 赠 is the verb 'to gift' (give as a present), not the noun itself.

noun
giftpresent
Measure word · 件, 个, 份

Examples

  • 礼物。
    Wǒ sòng tā yí gè lǐ wù.
    I gave her a gift.
  • 礼物。
    Zhè fèn lǐ wù hěn piào liang.
    This gift is very beautiful.
  • 礼物。
    Zhè shì gěi péng you de lǐ wù.
    This is a gift for a friend.

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.

礼lǐcourtesy offering
物wùthing

“礼” refers to a courtesy offering and “物” means thing, so together it names a gift.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
牛牛niú
Sound part声符shēngfú
勿
勿wù物wù
Same sound today

物 puts 牛 beside 勿: 牛 gives the meaning, and 勿 gives the sound.

Open 物 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3HSK 2.0 Level 31000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsEveryday Objects2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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