栎 (lì) - Oak tree & also refers to the horse chestnut tree

栎Tone 4

lì ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical: 木

俊梁

栎 · lì

Oak tree;

also refers to the horse chestnut tree;

used in place names.

Oak treealso refers to the horse chestnut treeused in place names.

Usage highlights

Oak treeAcornOak woodOak forestLiyangHorse chestnut

Synonyms

  • 橡— Oak; general term for oak trees
  • 柞— Oak; specifically refers to certain oak species

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The oak tree (栎树) provides strong timber.
  • We collected acorns (橡栎) in the forest.
  • Liyang (栎阳) is a historical place name in China.
  • The horse chestnut (七叶栎) has distinctive leaves.

Collocations

  • Oak tree(栎树)
  • Acorn(橡栎)
  • Oak wood(栎木)
  • Oak forest(栎林)
  • Liyang(栎阳)
  • Horse chestnut(七叶栎)

Idioms

  • To be useless timber(栎樗之材)
  • The useless tree(散木樗栎)
  • Like an oak stump(栎社之木)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Chinese culture, the oak tree symbolizes strength and durability due to its hard wood.
  • The character appears in historical place names like Liyang (栎阳), an ancient capital during the Qin dynasty.
  • In classical texts, the oak is sometimes used metaphorically to represent something useless or ordinary, as in the idiom 'useless timber'.

FAQ