Definitions
(noun)
inside; interior
(noun)
Chinese mile (measure of length, approx. 500m)
(noun)
neighborhood; administrative district
About
The character 里 in its current simplified form represents a historical conflation of two originally distinct characters. One, written with the components 田 (field) above 土 (earth), originally referred to a village or a measure of distance, conceptually linking land and dwelling. The other, the traditional form 裏 (or 裡), combined 衣 (clothing) with 里 (which here provided phonetic hint), and meant "inner lining", leading to its extended meanings of "inside" or "interior". Over time, the simpler graph 里 was adopted to write both words, absorbing the abstract, spatial sense of "within" from the traditional form while retaining its own concrete meanings related to homeland and measurement.
Example Sentences Hide
我在家里吃饭。
书包里有一本书。
学校里有好多学生。
晚上八点我回到家里。
这里离北京五百公里。
他在房间里静静地看书。
我们计划在假期里旅行去上海。
在她的心里，总是充满了希望。