Dictionary › 利

利

lì

HSK 4 Character

What 利 means

1. sharp
2. favorable
3. advantage
4. benefit
5. profit
6. interest
7. to do good to
8. to benefit

Other readings

利 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• Lìsurname Li

Example sentences

• 哈利病重。
  Hālì bìngzhòng.
  Harry fell seriously ill.
• 渔人得利。
  Someone else profits from the situation.
• 意大利面！
  Pasta!
• 哈利路亚。
  Hallelujah.
• 利率还是低。
  Lìlǜ háishi dī.
  Interest rates are still low.
• 便利店出兑。
  Biànlìdiàn chū duì.
  The convenience store ran out of business.

Words starting with 利

• 利用lì yòngto exploit; to make use of; to use
• 利益lì yìbenefit; (in sb's) interest
• 利润lì rùnprofits
• 利息lì xīinterest (on a loan)
• 利率lì lǜinterest rate
• 利害lì hàipros and cons; advantages and disadvantages; gains and losses
• 利于lì yúto be beneficial to; to be conducive to
• 利物浦Lì wù pǔLiverpool (England)
• 利索lì suonimble
• 利比亚Lì bǐ yàLibya
• 利落lì luoagile; nimble; all settled
• 利器lì qìsharp weapon; effective implement; outstandingly able individual
• 利好lì hǎo(finance) sth that engenders bullish sentiment; favorable news…
• 利弊lì bìpros and cons; merits and drawbacks; advantages and disadvantages
• 利润率lì rùn lǜprofit margin
• 利诱lì yòuto use gain as a lure
• 利剑lì jiànsharp sword
• 利刃lì rènsharp blade
• 利马Lì mǎLima, capital of Peru
• 利己lì jǐpersonal profit; to benefit oneself
• 利比里亚Lì bǐ lǐ yàLiberia
• 利民lì mínto benefit the people
• 利他lì tāto benefit others; altruism
• 利事lì shì(Cantonese) same as 红包

Words containing 利

• 顺利shùn lìsmoothly; without a hitch
• 流利liú lìfluent
• 权利quán lìright (i.e. an entitlement to sth); (classical) power and wealth
• 胜利shèng lìvictory
• 有利yǒu lìadvantageous; favorable
• 专利zhuān lìpatent; sth uniquely enjoyed (or possessed etc) by a certain group of people; monopoly
• 福利fú lìmaterial benefit; benefit in kind; (social) welfare
• 便利biàn lìconvenient; easy; to facilitate
• 盈利yíng lìprofit; gain; to make profits
• 水利shuǐ lìwater conservancy; irrigation works
• 锋利fēng lìsharp (e.g. knife blade); incisive; to the point
• 急功近利jí gōng jìn lìseeking instant benefit (idiom); shortsighted vision, looking only for fast return
• 意大利Yì dà lìItaly
• 澳大利亚Ào dà lì yàAustralia
• 有利于yǒu lì yúto be advantageous to; to be beneficial for
• 不利bù lìunfavorable; disadvantageous; harmful
• 哈利Hā lìHarry
• 奥地利Ào dì lìAustria
• 比利时Bǐ lì shíBelgium
• 匈牙利Xiōng yá lìHungary
• 获利huò lìprofit; to obtain benefits; benefits obtained
• 吉利jí lìauspicious; lucky; propitious
• 叙利亚Xù lì yàSyria
• 暴利bào lìsudden huge profits

Characters built on 禾

These share the phonetic component 禾 (hé), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 秘mìsecret; secretary
• 移yíto move; to shift; to change
• 私sīpersonal; private; selfish
• 积jīto amass; to accumulate; to store up; (math) product (the result of multiplication)…
• 季jìseason; the last month of a season; fourth or youngest amongst brothers
• 秩zhì(literary) salary according to rank; (literary) an official's rank; (literary) order…
• 稀xīsparse; scattered; rare; uncommon; diluted; thin; watery
• 稽jī(bound form) to examine; to check (against records); (literary) to delay; to linger…

Characters that look like 利

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 列lièto arrange; to line up; file
• 刑xíngpunishment; penalty; sentence
• 刺cìthorn; sting; thrust
• 刮guāto scrape; to blow; to shave
• 刹chàBuddhist monastery, temple or shrine (abbr. for 刹多罗
• 剁duòto chop up (meat etc); to chop off (sb's hand etc)

Sounds the same

Read lì, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 力power; force; strength
• 历calendar
• 例example; precedent; rule
• 励to encourage; to urge
• 丽beautiful
• 厉strict; severe
• 立to stand; to set up; to establish
• 粒grain; granule; pellet; particle; classifier for small round objects…
• 隶(bound form) a person in servitude; low-ranking subordinate…
• 俐used in 伶俐
• 莉used in 茉莉; used in the transliteration of female names
• 吏minor government official or functionary (old)