吏 meaning and stroke order
Government official, magistrate
How to write 吏, stroke by stroke
6 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
- 6
Meaning of 吏
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- minor government official or functionary (old)
How 吏 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 吏
吏 is built from 丈 (zhàng, a measure, also an elder man) crossed with 口 (kǒu, mouth). Picture a man whose job is to speak and measure out the rules: a minor official.
吏 is an old word for a low-ranking official or clerk, so today you mostly see it in set words and historical writing. The most common word is 官吏 (guānlì), officials in general. Example: 古代的官吏要通过考试。(Gǔdài de guānlì yào tōngguò kǎoshì.) Officials in ancient times had to pass exams.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 吏 (lì) with 史 (shǐ, history) and 使 (shǐ, to use or envoy). 吏 has an extra horizontal stroke on top, and 史 does not. Also do not use 吏 alone in modern speech to mean an official. Say 官员 (guānyuán) instead.
Common words with 吏
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 官吏 | guānlì | bureaucrat; official | HSK 7-9 |
Characters that contain 吏
Learning 吏 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 吏
How many strokes are in 吏?
吏 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 吏 mean?
吏 (lì) means government official, magistrate. A common word with it is 官吏 (guānlì), meaning "bureaucrat; official".
How do you pronounce 吏?
吏 is pronounced lì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 吏?
The radical of 吏 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 吏 under this radical.
Is 吏 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 吏 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 官 and 吏 in 官吏?
In old China, 官 (guān) meant higher ranking officials appointed by the court. 吏 (lì) meant the lower clerks and functionaries who did the daily work. Together, 官吏 just means officials in general.
Where else might I see 吏 in modern Chinese?
You will mostly meet it in historical dramas, classical texts, and a few formal words like 吏治 (lìzhì), the conduct of officials or how well government is run. It is a reading word, not a speaking word.