厉 meaning and stroke order
Whetstone; to grind, to sharpen, to whet
How to write 厉, stroke by stroke
5 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Meaning of 厉
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- strict
- severe
How 厉 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 厂 (cliff), shared by 29 characters on this site.
How to remember 厉
Picture a cliff 厂 (hàn) with ten thousand 万 (wàn) rough stones under it, a place to grind and sharpen blades. Something sharpened that hard becomes severe and fierce, which is the meaning 厉 (lì) carries today.
厉 (lì) rarely appears alone. It mostly shows up in words like 厉害 (lìhai), meaning impressive, awesome, or terrible depending on context, and 严厉 (yánlì), meaning strict or stern. Example: 你真厉害。(Nǐ zhēn lìhai.) You are really amazing.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 厉 (lì) with 历 (lì, history, as in 历史), since both sit under 厂 and share the same sound. 厉 has 万 inside, while 历 has 力. In 厉害 the second syllable is usually said in the neutral tone, lìhai, not lì hài.
Common words with 厉
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
厉 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 厉
Learning 厉 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 厉
How many strokes are in 厉?
厉 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 厉 mean?
厉 (lì) means whetstone; to grind, to sharpen, to whet. A common word with it is 厉害 (lìhai), meaning "(used to describe sb or sth that makes a very strong impression, whether favorable or unfa".
How do you pronounce 厉?
厉 is pronounced lì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 厉?
The radical of 厉 is 厂, which carries the idea of "cliff". Dictionaries list 厉 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 厉?
The traditional form of 厉 is 厲. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 厉 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 厉 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 厉 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 厉害 a compliment or a complaint?
It can be either. 他很厉害 (tā hěn lìhai) usually praises someone as very capable, but 疼得厉害 (téng de lìhai) means it hurts badly. Context tells you which.
What does 严厉 describe?
严厉 (yánlì) describes a strict or stern manner, often of a teacher, parent, or punishment. For example, 老师很严厉 (lǎoshī hěn yánlì) means the teacher is very strict.