麗

See also: 丽

Translingual

Han character

麗 (Kangxi radical 198, 鹿+8, 19 strokes, cangjie input 一一月月心 (MMBBP), four-corner 1121₁, composition ⿱丽鹿)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1510, character 31
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 47663
• Dae Jaweon: page 2039, character 6
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 7, page 4732, character 4
• Unihan data for U+9E97

---

Chinese

trad.		麗
simp.		丽*
alternative forms		𠀞 𠀙

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 麗
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (丽) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
灑	*sreːlʔ, *sreːlʔ, *srelʔ, *srels
籭	*sreːl, *srel
躧	*sreːlʔ, *srelʔ
曬	*sreːls, *srels
廲	*reːl
驪	*reːl, *rel
鱺	*reːlʔ
欐	*reːlʔ, *reːls, *srel
丽	*reːls
麗	*reːls, *rel
儷	*reːls
鸝	*rel
酈	*rel, *reːɡ
孋	*rel
矖	*rel, *srelʔ
穲	*rel
邐	*relʔ
彲	*r̥ʰel
釃	*srel, *srelʔ, *sra
襹	*srel, *srels
纚	*srelʔ

Etymology

Schuessler (2007) minimally reconstructed this word's OC pronunciation as *rêh and considered it a possible allofam of *麗 (OC *rê(k)h) "number" < "what is calculated", exopassive derivative of 歷 (OC *rêk) "to calculate".

麗 underwent this historical semantic shift: from "a pair" (Zhouli), to "mate, companion" (儷) (Zuo), to "paired", to "well-proportioned" (Liji), and finally to "elegant, beautiful" (Chuci) as well as "refinement" (Shu).

Pronunciation 1

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 麗

1. beautiful; lovely; pretty; fair; elegant
2. to adhere
3. (deprecated template usage) Alternative form of 儷／俪 (lì, “in pair”).

Synonyms

• 美好 (měihǎo)
• 華美／华美 (huáměi)
• 漂亮 (piàoliang)

Pronunciation 2

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): lí (li²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄌㄧˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): lai⁶
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): lì
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): lê

  (Teochew, Peng'im): li⁵

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: lí
    • Zhuyin: ㄌㄧˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: lí
    • Wade–Giles: li²
    • Yale: lí
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: li
    • Palladius: ли (li)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /li³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: lai⁶
    • Yale: laih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: lai⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: lei⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɐi̯²²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: lì
    • Hakka Romanization System: liˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: li²
    • Sinological IPA: /li¹¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lê
    • Tâi-lô: lê
    • Phofsit Daibuun: lee
    • IPA (Xiamen): /le²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /le²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /le¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /le²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /le²³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: li⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: lî
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /li⁵⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: lje

Rime
Character	麗
Reading #	1/2
Initial (聲)	來 (37)
Final (韻)	支 (11)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	呂支切
Baxter	lje
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/liᴇ/
Pan Wuyun	/liɛ/
Shao Rongfen	/ljɛ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/liə̆/
Li Rong	/lie/
Wang Li	/lǐe/
Bernard Karlgren	/lie̯/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	lí
Expected Cantonese Reflex	lei4

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*rel/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	麗
Reading #	2/2
No.	7917
Phonetic component	丽
Rime group	歌
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	離
Old Chinese	/*rel/

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 麗

1. Only used in 高麗／高丽 (Gāolí, “Goryeo”) and 高句麗／高句丽 (Gāogōulí, “Goguryeo”).

Compounds

(deprecated template usage)

---

Japanese

Kanji

麗

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

1. lovely
2. beautiful
3. graceful
4. resplendent

Readings

• Go-on: り (ri); らい (rai)
• Kan-on: り (ri); れい (rei, Jōyō)
• Kun: うるわしい (uruwashii, 麗しい, Jōyō); つらなる (tsuranaru, 麗なる); ならぶ (narabu, 麗ぶ); うらら (urara, 麗ら); うららか (uraraka, 麗らか)

Compounds

• 綺麗(きれい) (kirei): beauty
• 口奇麗(くちぎれい) (kuchigirei): speaking elegantly, speaking clearly, speaking innocently

Proper noun

麗(れい) • (Rei) 

1. a female given name

---

Korean

Hanja

麗 • (ri>i, ryeo>yeo) (hangeul 리>이, 려>여, revised ri>i, ryeo>yeo, McCune–Reischauer ri>i, ryŏ>yŏ, Yale li>i, lye>ye)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

---

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• 䴡 (lệ)
• 𪋘 (lệ)

Han character

麗: Hán Việt readings: lệ (郎(lang)計(kế)切(thiết)), li (鄰(lân)知(tri)切(thiết))
麗: Nôm readings: rạy, li

1. chữ Hán form of Lệ (“female given name”).
2. chữ Hán form of li / ly.
3. Nôm form of rạy.

Compounds

Compounds

• 高麗 (Cao Li)
• 高句麗 (Cao Câu Li)