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锂 is the simplified form of the traditional character 鋰, both phono-semantic compounds. The semantic component is 钅 (an abbreviation of 金 'metal'), positioned on the left; the phonetic component on the right is 里 (lǐ, meaning 'inside' or a unit of distance). This modern scientific character was created for the periodic table to represent the element lithium, a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive alkali metal. The phonetic 里 was chosen to echo the first syllable of English 'lithium', while the metal radical 钅 (and 金 in the traditional form) classifies the element as a metal, reflecting its highly reactive metallic nature.
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