贺礼 (hè lǐ) — congratulatory gift; gift given to celebrate an occasion

Definition

noun
congratulatory giftgift given to celebrate an occasion
Measure word · 份

Examples

  • 贺礼。
    Tā sòng le yí fèn hè lǐ gěi xīn rén.
    He gave a congratulatory gift to the newlyweds.
  • 贺礼。
    Zhè fèn hè lǐ hěn guì zhòng.
    This congratulatory gift is very valuable.
  • 贺礼。
    Dà jiā dài lái le gè zhǒng hè lǐ.
    Everyone brought all kinds of congratulatory gifts.

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.

贺hècongratulate
礼lǐgift

贺 means congratulate, and 礼 means gift, so 贺礼 is a gift for congratulating.

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 賀; 贺 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishellfish money
Sound part声符shēngfú
加
加jiā賀hè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 賀 pairs 貝 (shellfish money) with 加 as a sound part; the simplified 贺 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 贺 →

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 →

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