Meanings of 癘
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About 癘
Podcast: 癘
Podcast: 癘
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AI Study Notes for 癘
Note that 癘 is quite formal and not commonly used in everyday conversation; it may appear more in literature or medical texts. Be careful with tone; 'lì' is pronounced with a falling tone, which can differentiate it from other similar-sounding words.
Although 癘 is not part of the HSK levels, students can relate it to other medical terms or characters involving illness, such as 病 (bìng, illness) or 疼 (téng, pain). Focus on recognizing how this character fits into discussions about health.
Learners might confuse 癘 with the more common character 病 (bìng) which means illness in a general sense. For example, saying '我得了癘' (Wǒ déle lì) to mean 'I have an illness' may sound overly formal; instead, use '我得了病' (Wǒ déle bìng).
Pronunciation of 癘
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Etymology of 癘
Ten thousand 萬 sick people 疒
Jason Etymology Detective
Case file: 癘
- 1The giveawayTen thousand 萬 sick people 疒
- 2On the record asideographic — someone drew an idea rather than an object.
Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.
Want the full history of 癘? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.
Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.Character Formation Type
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Decomposition of 癘
Identify the Components
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How to say sore, ulcer; plague, pestilence in Chinese
“sore, ulcer; plague, pestilence” in Chinese is癘
The character 癘 (lì) refers to a sore or ulcer, but it can also denote a plague or pestilence. It is often used in medical or historical contexts to describe diseases that have caused widespread suffering or outbreaks.
When to use 癘
Note that 癘 is quite formal and not commonly used in everyday conversation; it may appear more in literature or medical texts. Be careful with tone; 'lì' is pronounced with a falling tone, which can differentiate it from other similar-sounding words.
What learners get wrong
Learners might confuse 癘 with the more common character 病 (bìng) which means illness in a general sense. For example, saying '我得了癘' (Wǒ déle lì) to mean 'I have an illness' may sound overly formal; instead, use '我得了病' (Wǒ déle bìng).
Write 癘
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Practice writing 癘 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
Word Family of 癘
Compound Meaning
What does 疠 mean?
Frequently Asked Questions about 癘
癘 is pronounced as 'lì' with a falling tone, so make sure to emphasize the tone to distinguish it from other characters.
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