礼貌 meaning in English
courtesy; politeness; manners; courteous; polite
Meaning of 礼貌
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- courtesy; politeness; manners
- courteous; polite
How to use 礼貌
礼貌 works as a noun (manners) and as an adjective (polite). Common patterns are 有礼貌 (yǒu lǐmào, to have manners), 没礼貌 (méi lǐmào, rude), and 很礼貌 (hěn lǐmào, very polite). Example: 这个孩子很有礼貌。(Zhège háizi hěn yǒu lǐmào.) This child is very well-mannered.
礼 (lǐ) means ritual or proper conduct, as in 婚礼 (hūnlǐ) wedding and 典礼 (diǎnlǐ) ceremony, and 貌 (mào) means appearance, as in 面貌 (miànmào). Put them together: politeness is how proper conduct shows on the outside.
Common mistake: Learners often write 礼 with the 衤 (clothing) radical instead of 礻 (spirit). 礻 has one dot on top, while 衤 has an extra dot. Also, 貌 is fourth tone (mào), not second tone like 猫 (māo) or 帽 (mào) mixed up in writing.
礼貌 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
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貌 mào · countenance · 14 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 礼貌.
| 礼物 | lǐwù | gift; present |
| 婚礼 | hūnlǐ | wedding ceremony; wedding |
| 礼拜 | lǐbài | to attend a religious service; (coll.) week |
| 典礼 | diǎnlǐ | ceremony; celebration |
| 面貌 | miànmào | face; features; appearance; look |
| 礼堂 | lǐtáng | assembly hall; auditorium |
| 送礼 | sònglǐ | to give a present |
| 葬礼 | zànglǐ | burial; funeral |
| 礼服 | lǐfú | ceremonial robe; formal attire (dinner suit, evening gown etc) |
| 敬礼 | jìnglǐ | to salute; salute |
| 洗礼 | xǐlǐ | (lit. and fig.) baptism |
| 礼仪 | lǐyí | etiquette; ceremony |
Questions about 礼貌
What does 礼貌 mean?
礼貌 (lǐmào) means "courtesy; politeness; manners; courteous; polite" and is used as a noun and adjective.
How do you write 礼貌?
礼貌 is made of 2 characters: 礼 (5 strokes), 貌 (14 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 礼貌 an HSK word?
Yes. 礼貌 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 礼貌 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 礼貌 is written 禮貌.
How do I say 'impolite' or 'rude' with 礼貌?
Say 没有礼貌 (méiyǒu lǐmào) or the shorter 没礼貌 (méi lǐmào). 不礼貌 (bù lǐmào) is also common, especially to describe an action, as in 这样做很不礼貌 (zhèyàng zuò hěn bù lǐmào), doing this is rude.
What is the difference between 礼貌 and 客气 (kèqi)?
礼貌 is general good manners and respect. 客气 is being modest or formal toward others, and can suggest holding back, as in 别客气 (bié kèqi), don't be so formal. You would not say 别礼貌.