厘
Character Story & Explanation
In modern China, 厘 appears almost exclusively in formal, technical, or historical contexts: financial documents quoting interest rates (e.g., '0.5厘' = 0.05%), metrological standards, or classical literature referencing the Flame Emperors. It is not used independently in speech; instead, it survives in compounds like 分厘 (fēn lí) meaning 'minute detail'—a phrase found in official press releases and legal texts emphasizing precision.
The character’s form combines 厂 (radical, suggesting enclosure/refinement) and 里 (lǐ, 'village' or 'unit of distance'), likely indicating a standardized measure administered from an official locale. While its oracle-bone origins are unattested, bronze inscriptions from the Warring States period confirm 厘 as a weight unit—verified in excavated bamboo slips from Liye and Shuihudi.
厘 (lí) is a historically rich character that originally denoted a unit of weight—1/1000 of a jīn (catty)—and later evolved into a decimal subunit in modern Chinese currency and measurement. Though rarely used alone today, it survives in precise technical contexts like finance, metrology, and classical references to ancient rulers.
The character appears in historical texts as the name of Lí (厘), the sixth Flame Emperor (Yándì) in the Shennong lineage—a mytho-historical figure symbolizing agricultural innovation and medicinal knowledge. This usage reflects how early Chinese historiography wove administrative units, measurement terms, and ancestral titles into shared linguistic roots.
As a radical-bearing character with 厂 (cliff/shelter) on the left, 厘 suggests containment or refinement—fitting for a unit representing precision. Its nine-stroke structure follows standard clerical script conventions, and its HSK Level 5 status signals intermediate-advanced learners should recognize it in compound words and historical readings—not daily conversation.
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
Similar Characters — Don't Mix These Up
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