Zi:了

了 [le] (particle) ​算了, ​好了 [liǎo] 了/​瞭​解 comprehend [liào] ​瞭/了​望 keep watch/lookout [liāo] ​微​微了了; (HDZ:) … [liáo] 了/​嘹​高​兒

6 monosyllabic entries in The ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary (namespace Ci):

►¹le* ​了 {A} m.p. (indicating a new situation) ‖ Hǎo ∼. 好∼。 It's OK now. ◆a.m. (indicating completed action) ‖ Wǒ zhị̌ qǐng∼ yị̄ wèi kèren. 我只请∼一位客人。 I invited only one guest.
►¹liǎo* ​了 {A} v. end; finish; settle; dispose of ‖ Gǎnkuài bǎ zhè jiàn shìr ∼ le. 赶快把这件事儿∼了。 Put an end to this matter quickly. ◆cmp. (used with de and bu to indicate possibility) ‖ chīde∼ 吃得∼ can eat ◆adv. 〈environment:〉 wr. entirely
►³liào To view this entry, please log in
►³liāo ​了 char. ►wēiwēiliaoliāo 微微了了
►¹³liáo ​了 char. ►liáogāor 嘹高儿
►⁵liǎo To view this entry, please log in

The Shuōwén Seal form of 了 liǎo/le ‘lame/trip’ is said to be an abbrev. of ​子(​𠯃) zǐ ‘child/offspring’, omitting the arms; ​子 with up-raised arms omits the child's feet, emphasizing its helpless dependence; in 了 the helplessness is complete, the child cannot raise its arms (is weak, or has arm spasms), can neither stand nor even crawl; and hence extended 了 ‘complete’ usages.
    Note: The SW gloss 了 liǎo/le ‘lame/trip’ puns on ​尥 liào ‘lame/trip/stumble’ (hobbled, knock-kneed, bow-legged, trip over one's own feet).
    Note: Today 了 simplifies ​瞭 liǎo (了​解), but not ​瞭 liào (GFC); formerly 了 was also used as the simple form of ​瞭 liào (​瞭/了​望), cf. ​瞭, ​憭 (HDZ).
    Compare: ​憭 liǎo ‘bright/intelligent’ (了/​憭​解), later wr. 了/​瞭 (了/​瞭​解).
    Compare: ​𠄏 diǎo (了 inverted); ​𡤼, ​孒, ​孨.
    “[了] ​从​子​无​臂, ​指​事。...This character, being very easy to write, and of no use, had its primitive meaning changed into different arbitrary ones. It is now used specially to write the suffix liǎo, so frequent in the spoken language. Note the philological definition of the part it plays in that case; ​发​声​之​词, ​犹​言​结; emission of a sound, in order to knot, to end a sentence” —Wieger.
    HDZ: 了 : liǎo : ​走​路​时​足​胫​相​交 (了: ​手​之​挛; ​尥: ​胫​之​絷; cf. ​尥); ​结​束, 了​结; ​决​定, ​决​断; ​聪​明, ​有​才​智 (cf. ​憭, 了/​憭​解); ​明​白, ​懂​得; ​清​楚, ​明​晰; ​快; ​悬​挂; (​副​词) ​完​全, ​全​然 • le : (​助​词) ​完​成; (​语​气​词) (​肯​定; ​劝​止、​命​令 (​别​吵了; ​快​躲了; ​闪​开了); (​感​叹) ((​水​浒​传) ​好了! ​兀​的​不​是​一​个​人​来?)) • liào : (​简​体) ​瞭
►references: Guǎngyùn:295.52; Wieger:94h; Karlgren:AD545; Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn:1.48.6; Mathews:3958; Kāngxī Zìdiǎn:85.11; Bǐshùn Guīfàn:001.1.08; EDOC:1
►Cantonese: liuh/ lak-
►stroke 了 (... strokes)   
►list characters containing 了 as a component
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Unicode: U+4E86
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