Dictionary › 励

励

lì

HSK 4 Character Traditional 勵

What 励 means

1. to encourage
2. to urge

Other readings

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

• Lìsurname Li

Example sentences

• 多多鼓励他人。
  Duōduō gǔlì tārén.
  Encourage others.
• 没有人鼓励她。
  No one encouraged her.
• 没有人鼓励他。
  Nobody encouraged him.
• 汤姆需要鼓励。
  Tom needs encouragement.
• 他有权得到奖励。
  Tā yǒuquán dédào jiǎnglì.
  He is entitled to receive the reward.
• 我点头以示鼓励。
  I nodded encouragingly.

Words starting with 励

• 励志lì zhìto pursue a goal with determination; inspirational; motivational
• 励精图治lì jīng tú zhì(of a ruler) to strive to make one's nation strong and prosperous (idiom)
• 励志哥lì zhì gē(colloquial) a guy who is admired for having overcome challenges to achieve success

Words containing 励

• 鼓励gǔ lìto encourage
• 奖励jiǎng lìto reward; reward (as encouragement)
• 激励jī lìto encourage; to urge; motivation
• 勉励miǎn lìto encourage
• 王励勤Wáng Lì qínWang Liqin (1978-), former PRC table tennis player, Olympic medalist
• 策励cè lìto encourage; to urge; to impel
• 激励机制jī lì jī zhìincentive mechanism; incentives
• 奖励旅行jiǎng lì lǚ xíngincentive travel
• 奖励旅游jiǎng lì lǚ yóuincentive travel

Characters built on 厉

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

• 蛎lìoyster
• 砺lìgrind; sandstone
• 粝lìcoarse rice

Characters that look like 励

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

• 助zhùto help; to assist
• 抛pāoto throw; to toss; to fling
• 驰chíto run fast; to speed; to gallop
• 劾héto impeach
• 拗ào(bound form) intractable; contrary; disobedient
• 驸fùprince consort

Sounds the same

Read lì, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 力power; force; strength
• 历calendar
• 利sharp; favorable; advantage
• 例example; precedent; rule
• 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)