Meaning of 理
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- texture
- grain (of wood)
- inner essence
- intrinsic order
- reason
- logic
- truth
- science
How to use 理
理 rarely stands alone in everyday speech. It usually appears inside words like 道理 (dàolǐ, reason), 理解 (lǐjiě, to understand) and 处理 (chǔlǐ, to handle). As a verb in casual speech it can mean to pay attention to someone: 他不理我。(Tā bù lǐ wǒ.) He is ignoring me.
理 (lǐ) combines 王, a form of 玉 (jade), with 里 (lǐ), which gives the sound. Picture the natural lines running through a piece of jade. That grain is the inner order of things, which grew into the idea of reason and logic.
Common mistake: Learners often write the left side as 玉 or 王 with a dot. In 理 it is 王 with the last stroke slanting up, and there is no dot. Also do not mix up 理 with 里 (lǐ, inside). They share the same sound, but 里 has no jade radical.
理 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
理 lǐ · texture · 11 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Related words
Words that share a character with 理.
| 道理 | dàolǐ | reason; argument |
| 经理 | jīnglǐ | manager; director |
| 理想 | lǐxiǎng | an ideal; a dream |
| 处理 | chǔlǐ | to handle; to deal with; to punish |
| 理解 | lǐjiě | to comprehend; to understand |
| 理由 | lǐyóu | reason; grounds |
| 理论 | lǐlùn | theory; to argue |
| 管理 | guǎnlǐ | to supervise; to manage |
| 整理 | zhěnglǐ | to arrange; to tidy up |
| 合理 | hélǐ | rational; reasonable; sensible; fair |
| 理发 | lǐfà | to get a haircut; to have one's hair done; to cut (sb's) hair; to give (sb) a haircut |
| 办理 | bànlǐ | to handle; to transact; to conduct |
Questions about 理
What does 理 mean?
理 (lǐ) means "texture; grain (of wood)" and is used as a verb and noun.
How do you write 理?
理 is made of 1 character: 理 (11 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 理 an HSK word?
Yes. 理 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 理由 and 道理?
理由 (lǐyóu) is the specific reason or excuse someone gives for an action, such as 你迟到的理由是什么? 道理 (dàolǐ) is a general principle or sense of what is right, as in 你说得有道理 (what you say makes sense).
Why is 理 in 经理 (manager)?
Here 理 carries its verb sense of managing or putting things in order. A 经理 (jīnglǐ) is the person who runs and organizes a business or department. The same sense appears in 管理 (guǎnlǐ, to manage).