例
Character Story & Explanation
例 is ubiquitous in modern Chinese: it appears in education (e.g., 教材中的例句 — example sentences in textbooks), law (判例 — legal precedent), and media (典型案例 — typical case). The phrase 例如 (lìrú) is among the top 200 most frequent word pairs in written Chinese (BCC Corpus data). Historically, 例 first appeared in seal script during the Warring States period, evolving from 列 (to arrange) + 亻 — reflecting its original sense of 'a person’s established practice' used as a model.
The character’s form is not pictographic but semantic-phonetic: 亻 signals human-related meaning, while 列 (liè) provides both sound (near homophone) and semantic nuance ('arranged precedent'). No oracle bone form survives, but bronze inscriptions show early use in administrative contexts — e.g., recording standard procedures for rituals or governance.
Hello students! Today we’ll explore the character 例 (lì), meaning 'example' — a fundamental word you’ll see constantly in textbooks, exams, and daily explanations. It’s an HSK Level 4 character, so it’s essential for intermediate learners. Notice its left-side radical 亻 (the 'person' radical) — this hints that 例 originally related to human conduct or precedent, not just abstract examples. Its right side, 列 (liè), means 'to line up' or 'list', helping us remember that an example is something 'lined up' for illustration.
Writing 例 is straightforward: only 8 strokes, and it follows a clear left-to-right order. Start with the two-stroke 亻 (person radical), then write 列 carefully — remember the top is 刂 (knife radical) but here it’s actually the simplified form of 列’s right component. Practice slowly: stroke order matters for legibility and muscle memory. Don’t rush — accuracy builds confidence!
This character appears in many high-frequency words like 例如 (for example), 举例 (to give an example), and 案例 (case study). In class, your teacher might say: '我们来举个例子' (Let’s give an example) — and there’s 例 again! Recognizing it helps you follow explanations faster. Think of 例 as your linguistic 'anchor': whenever you see it, expect clarity, illustration, or a concrete instance — never abstraction alone.
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
Similar Characters — Don't Mix These Up
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