隶 meaning and stroke order
Subservient; servant
How to write 隶, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 隶
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) a person in servitude; low-ranking subordinate
- (bound form) to be subordinate to
- (bound form) clerical script (the style of characters intermediate between ancient seal and modern regular characters)
- variant of 隸|隶[li4]
How 隶 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A hand 彐 threshing rice.
How to remember 隶
The top part 彐 is a hand, and the bottom 氺 looks like grains of rice falling. Picture a servant whose hand is always busy threshing rice for someone else, and you have 隶 (lì), a person in servitude.
隶 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It appears in words like 奴隶 (núlì, slave) and 隶属 (lìshǔ, to be subordinate to), and in 隶书 (lìshū, clerical script). Example: 这个部门隶属于教育部。(Zhège bùmén lìshǔ yú jiàoyùbù.) This department is under the Ministry of Education.
Common mistake: Learners often write the bottom as 水 (shuǐ), but in 隶 it is 氺, whose middle stroke has short strokes on both sides instead of the 水 shape. Also do not confuse 隶 with 录 (lù, to record), which has a similar top but a different bottom and a different tone.
Common words with 隶
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
隶 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 隶
Learning 隶 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 隶
How many strokes are in 隶?
隶 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 隶 mean?
隶 (lì) means subservient; servant. A common word with it is 奴隶 (núlì), meaning "slave".
How do you pronounce 隶?
隶 is pronounced lì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the traditional form of 隶?
The traditional form of 隶 is 隷 and 隸. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 隶 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 隶 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 隶 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is 隶书 (lìshū)?
隶书 is clerical script, a style of Chinese writing between ancient seal script and modern regular script. It has flat, wide characters with wavy horizontal strokes and is still used in calligraphy and signs.
Is 隶 offensive or sensitive to use?
The word 奴隶 (núlì) refers to slavery, so use it with care, just as you would the English word. The formal term 隶属 (lìshǔ) is neutral and common in official and organizational contexts.