离 lí — rare beast · English

离

lí

rare beast

At a glance · 离

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「离」繁体「離」从隹离声，小篆从隹離声，形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「离」本指离黄（仓庚鸟），假借为分离、离开。

Structure

从隹、离(lí)声，形声字，隹表鸟类义类，本为鸟名，借为分离。

At a glance

Pinyinlí

Radical亠

Strokes11

UnicodeU+79BB

Character type形声

Theme动物

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English rare beast rare beast; strange; elegant

Français quitter / séparer Quitter, séparer. «造次弗离» : ne pas se séparer (de la vertu).

Español dejar / separar Dejar, separar. «造次弗离»: no separarse (de la virtud).

العربية يترك / يفصل يترك، يفصل. «造次弗离»: لا تفارق (الفضيلة).

Русский покидать / отделять Покидать, отделять. «造次弗离»: не расставаться (с добродетелью).

Common words

离开lí kāileave
分离fēn líseparate

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