禮

Translingual

Alternative forms

In Traditional Chinese, the component on the left of U+79AE is 礻. In Korean hanja and Japanese kyūjitai, the component on the left of U+79AE is 示 rather than 礻, which is also the historical form that appears in the Kangxi dictionary. A CJK compatibility ideograph exists at U+F9B6 to reflect the form found in the Kangxi dictionary.

Han character

禮 (Kangxi radical 113, 示+13, 18 strokes, cangjie input 戈火廿田廿 (IFTWT), four-corner 3521₈, composition ⿰礻豊(GHTV) or ⿰示豊(JK or U+F9B6))

Derived characters

• 𡅏, 𡓾, 𡤠, 𢹿, 𣠲, 𧕬, 𨰋

Related characters

• 礼 (Japanese shinjitai and Simplified Chinese)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 847, character 7
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 24844
• Dae Jaweon: page 1268, character 9
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2409, character 14
• Unihan data for U+79AE

• Unihan data for U+F9B6

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 禮
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States		Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Ancient script	Small seal script

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *riːʔ) and ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : semantic 礻 (“altar”) + phonetic 豊 (OC *riːʔ, “ceremony”) – performing rites at the altar.

Originally written 豊, see there for more.

Etymology

Uncertain. Schuessler (2007) proposes that this is an old areal etymon. Compare Tibetan ཞེ་ས (zhe sa, “respect, honor, deference”), རྗེ་བོ (rje bo, “lord, nobleman”), རྗེད (rjed, “to honor; reverence”); Mru (ri, “ritual”) is possibly borrowed from Austroasiatic (cf. Mon (rèh seh, “to respect, to revere”); Thin Khmu (rɛh, “to lift up”); both from Proto-Mon-Khmer *reh (“to raise up, to exalt”)).

Pronunciation

Definitions

禮

1. ritual; rite; ceremony

   婚禮／婚礼  ―  hūnlǐ  ―  wedding

   喪禮／丧礼  ―  sānglǐ  ―  funeral

   • 我孔熯矣、式禮莫愆。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     我孔熯矣、式礼莫愆。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Wǒ kǒng shàn yǐ, shì lǐ mò qiān.

     We are very much exhausted, and have performed every ceremony without error.

   • 卒廷見相如，畢禮而歸之。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     卒廷见相如，毕礼而归之。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Zú tíng jiàn Xiāngrú, bì lǐ ér guī zhī.

     In the end, (King Zhaoxiang of Qin) granted (Lin) Xiangru an audience at his court, completed the ceremonies, and sent him back.

2. rules of etiquette; rules of propriety

   • 夫子循循然善誘人，博我以文，約我以禮。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     夫子循循然善诱人，博我以文，约我以礼。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Fūzǐ xúnxún rán shànyòu rén, bó wǒ yǐ wén, yuē wǒ yǐ lǐ.

     The Master, by orderly method, skillfully leads men on. He enlarged my mind with learning, and taught me the restraints of propriety.

   • 夫禮者，所以定親疏，決嫌疑，別同異，明是非也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     夫礼者，所以定亲疏，决嫌疑，别同异，明是非也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

     Fú lǐ zhě, suǒyǐ dìng qīnshū, jué xiányí, bié tóngyì, míng shìfēi yě.

     They are the rules of propriety, that furnish the means of determining (the observances towards) relatives, as near and remote; of settling points which may cause suspicion or doubt; of distinguishing where there should be agreement, and where difference; and of making clear what is right and what is wrong.

3. courtesy; etiquette; manners

   敬禮／敬礼  ―  jìnglǐ  ―  to salute

   禮多人不怪／礼多人不怪  ―  lǐduōrénbùguài  ―  nobody will find fault with extra courtesy

4. present; gift (Classifier: 份 m c)

   禮物／礼物  ―  lǐwù  ―  gift

5. to treat with respect and courtesy

   敬賢禮士／敬贤礼士  ―  jìngxiánlǐshì  ―  to treat worthies and intellectuals respectfully and courteously

6. 48th tetragram of the Taixuanjing; "ritual" (𝌵)
7. a surname

Usage notes

Usually, a single 禮／礼 (lǐ) refers to a gift that involves more serious social interaction. For gifts between friends, 禮物／礼物 (lǐwù) is used instead.

Compounds

References

• “禮”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Kanji

(“Jinmeiyō” kanji used for names, kyūjitai kanji, shinjitai form 礼)

1. Kyūjitai form of 礼 (“propriety; courtesy; politeness; etiquette”)

Readings

• Go-on: らい (rai)
• Kan-on: れい (rei)
• Nanori: ひろ (hiro); れ (re)

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 禮 (MC lejX).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): ~
• Phonetic hangul:

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

禮

Wikisource

禮 (eumhun 례도/예도 례 (ryedo/yedo rye), South Korea 례도/예도 예 (ryedo/yedo ye))

1. Hanja form^? of 례/예 (“manners; etiquette”).

Compounds

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Vietnamese

Han character

禮: Hán Việt readings: lễ (里(lí)弟(đệ)切(thiết))
禮: Nôm readings: lễ, lạy, lẻ, lẫy, rẽ, rẩy, lẩy, lãi, lể, lởi, lỡi, lấy, lảy, rẻ

1. chữ Hán form of lễ (“ritual; etiquette; to kowtow; an offering; ceremony”).
2. Nôm form of lạy (“to kowtow”).
3. Nôm form of lẻ (“odd (not divisible by two)”).

References