离 (lí) - to leave & to depart

离Tone 2

lí ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

俊梁

离 · lí

to leave;

to depart;

to be away from;

to separate;

also refers to the Li trigram in the I Ching, representing fire, brightness, and attachment.

to leaveto departto be away from

Usage highlights

to leaveto separatedistance fromLi trigramto divorceto deviate from

Synonyms

  • 别— to part; to leave
  • 分— to separate; to divide

Antonyms

  • 合— to combine; to join
  • 聚— to gather; to assemble

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He left his hometown (离开家乡).
  • The airport is far from the city center (离市中心很远).
  • This is a book about the I Ching's Li trigram (离卦).
  • They were separated for many years (离别多年).

Collocations

  • to leave(离开)
  • to separate(离别)
  • distance from(距离)
  • Li trigram(离卦)
  • to divorce(离婚)
  • to deviate from(偏离)

Idioms

  • Parting is inevitably sorrowful(悲欢离合)
  • Unable to tear oneself away(难分难离)
  • Fleeing in all directions(离乡背井)
  • To confuse right and wrong(混淆是非, sometimes using 离 in 离间 meaning to sow discord)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In the I Ching (Book of Changes), Li is one of the eight trigrams, symbolizing fire, the sun, brightness, and clinging or attachment.
  • The character is historically associated with the mythical Yellow Bird and separation.
  • It carries connotations of both physical departure and luminous, intelligent qualities from its trigram meaning.

FAQ