戾 (lì) - perverse & cruel

戾Tone 4

lì ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical: 户

俊梁

戾 · lì

perverse;

cruel;

violent;

to reach;

to arrive;

crime;

sin

perversecruelviolent

Usage highlights

violent and cruelperverse and unreasonablecrime and sinto arriveferocious and ruthlessevil and wicked

Synonyms

  • 暴— violent; cruel
  • 凶— fierce; vicious
  • 恶— evil; wicked

Antonyms

  • 善— good; kind
  • 仁— benevolent; humane
  • 和— harmonious; gentle

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He has a violent temper (暴戾).
  • The plane landed safely (飞机戾止).
  • This is an act of extreme cruelty (乖戾行为).
  • The criminal committed heinous crimes (罪戾).

Collocations

  • violent and cruel(暴戾)
  • perverse and unreasonable(乖戾)
  • crime and sin(罪戾)
  • to arrive(戾止)
  • ferocious and ruthless(戾狠)
  • evil and wicked(戾恶)

Idioms

  • Violent and tyrannical(暴戾恣睢)
  • To bend and straighten(屈戾曲直)
  • Extremely cruel and ruthless(穷凶极戾)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient texts, 戾 could mean 'to arrive' or 'to reach', as seen in classical Chinese.
  • The character often carries negative connotations of violence, cruelty, and moral transgression.
  • In modern usage, it primarily denotes negative personality traits and behaviors.

FAQ