Meaning of 礼物
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- gift; present
Measure word: 件,份
How to use 礼物
礼物 is the everyday word for a gift or present, used for birthdays, holidays and visits. It often goes with the verbs 送 (sòng) to give and 收到 (shōudào) to receive. Example: 这是我送你的生日礼物。(Zhè shì wǒ sòng nǐ de shēngrì lǐwù.) This is the birthday present I am giving you.
礼 (lǐ) means courtesy or ceremony, as in 婚礼 (hūnlǐ) wedding, and 物 (wù) means thing, as in 食物 (shíwù) food. A 礼物 is a courtesy thing, an object you give to show respect or care.
Common mistake: Learners often say 给礼物 (gěi lǐwù) where 送礼物 (sòng lǐwù) sounds more natural for giving a gift. Also keep the third tone on 礼 (lǐ) and the fourth tone on 物 (wù). Do not flatten it to lìwù.
礼物 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.
礼 lǐ · gift · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
物 wù · thing · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 礼物.
| 食物 | shíwù | food |
| 动物 | dòngwù | animal |
| 动物园 | dòngwùyuán | zoo |
| 婚礼 | hūnlǐ | wedding ceremony; wedding |
| 事物 | shìwù | thing; object |
| 药物 | yàowù | medicaments; pharmaceuticals |
| 植物 | zhíwù | plant; vegetation |
| 购物 | gòuwù | shopping |
| 人物 | rénwù | person; personage; figure (esp. sb of importance); character (in a play, novel etc) |
| 礼貌 | lǐmào | courtesy; politeness; manners; courteous; polite |
| 礼拜 | lǐbài | to attend a religious service; (coll.) week |
| 博物馆 | bówùguǎn | museum |
Questions about 礼物
What does 礼物 mean?
礼物 (lǐwù) means "gift; present" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 礼物?
礼物 is made of 2 characters: 礼 (5 strokes), 物 (8 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 礼物 an HSK word?
Yes. 礼物 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 礼物 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 礼物 is written 禮物.
What measure word is used with 礼物?
The most common measure word is 个 (gè), as in 一个礼物 (yí ge lǐwù). For a gift that is wrapped or boxed, 份 (fèn) is also common, as in 一份礼物 (yí fèn lǐwù).
How do I politely accept a gift in Chinese?
You can say 谢谢你的礼物 (xièxie nǐ de lǐwù), thank you for the gift. A giver may modestly say 一点小礼物 (yìdiǎn xiǎo lǐwù), just a small gift.