耒 (lěi) - A plow & ancient farm tool for tilling soil

耒Tone 3

lěi ｜ 6 strokes ｜ radical: 耒

俊梁

耒 · lěi

A plow;

ancient farm tool for tilling soil;

radical for characters related to farming or agriculture.

A plowancient farm tool for tilling soilradical for characters related to farming or agriculture.

Usage highlights

PlowshareTo plow and weedFarming toolsTo farmAgricultural work

Synonyms

  • 犁— plow (modern term)
  • 耕— to plow, to till

Antonyms

  • 荒— wasteland, uncultivated

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The character for plow (耒) is a pictograph of an ancient farm tool.
  • This radical appears in many farming-related characters (e.g., 耕, 耘).
  • Ancient Chinese agriculture relied on tools like the 耒.

Collocations

  • Plowshare(耒耜)
  • To plow and weed(耕耘)
  • Farming tools(耒耨)
  • To farm(耕耒)
  • Agricultural work(耒事)

Idioms

  • To plow and weed, to work diligently(耕耘)
  • The hard work of farming(耒耨之勤)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • One of the oldest agricultural tools in Chinese history, dating back to the Neolithic era.
  • As a radical, it forms characters related to farming, cultivation, and agricultural labor.
  • Represents the foundation of Chinese agricultural civilization and the importance of farming.

FAQ