里 (lǐ) - Inside & within

里Tone 3

lǐ ｜ 7 strokes ｜ radical: 里

俊梁

里 · lǐ

Inside;

within;

a unit of distance (approximately 500 meters);

neighborhood;

village;

hometown.

Insidewithina unit of distance (approximately 500 meters)

Usage highlights

InsideHometownNeighborhoodKilometerMileVillage

Synonyms

  • 内— inside, internal
  • 中— middle, within

Antonyms

  • 外— outside, external

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Inside the house(房子里)
  • One kilometer equals two li(公里)
  • My hometown(我的故乡里)
  • The village head(里长)

Collocations

  • Inside(里面)
  • Hometown(故乡里)
  • Neighborhood(邻里)
  • Kilometer(公里)
  • Mile(英里)
  • Village(村里)

Idioms

  • Wanli Changcheng (万里长城) — The Great Wall
  • Pangruo liangren (旁若无人) — As if no one else is around
  • medical term(Lijie zhishi (里急后重) — Tenesmus)
  • Zou wei shangji (走为上计) — Running away is the best policy(from 三十六计)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically a unit of distance in China, approximately 500 meters.
  • Represents community and neighborhood in traditional Chinese society.
  • Used in many place names and surnames throughout Chinese history.

FAQ