About
The character 戾 (lì) denotes violence, cruelty, or perversity as an adjective or noun. It combines the top semantic component 户 (hù, door) with the bottom component 犬 (quǎn, dog). This structure originally depicted a dog struggling to squeeze under a closed door, conveying physical constraint and forceful bending. This image evolved into abstract meanings of deviating from norms and perverse behavior, ultimately leading to the dominant modern sense of aggressive tyranny, as seen in terms like 暴戾 (bàolì), meaning ruthless and unreasonable violence.
Etymology Hide
