About
Composed of the grass radical "艹" over the phonetic element "利", the character "莉" denotes a connection to vegetation and is pronounced similarly to its lower component, with its creation primarily driven by the need to represent the second syllable in the loanword "茉莉" for jasmine, adapted from Sanskrit. Historically, "莉" has functioned as a bound morpheme, rarely used outside this compound, and its meaning has been consistently specific to the flower without developing independent semantic value. Its structure, combining semantic and phonetic elements, has remained consistent over time, and it does not possess a distinct traditional form that was later simplified, as the character has maintained this composition in writing systems where it appears.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我的名字叫莉莉。
这朵茉莉花很香。
莉莉喜欢喝茉莉花茶。
她的中文名字叫王莉。
茉莉花的香气充满了房间。
这种洗发水含有茉莉精华。
莉香的笑容总是很温暖。
晚风送来了淡淡的莉香。