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Zi:里

From Wenlin Dictionaries

里 [lǐ] village; ​市里 half kilometer, ​公里 kilometer; ​英里 mile (F​裡) inside/interior (里​面), in; ​那里 there; ​哪里 where?; (HDZ:) …

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

►¹lǐ* ​里[​裡/​裏] {A} n. lining; inside ◆b.f. internal; interior; inside ►lǐtou 里头 ◆suf. in; inside ‖ Fángzi ∼ yǒurén ma? 房子∼有人吗? Is there anybody in the house?
►¹li ​里[​裡/​裏] {E} See ¹lǐ
►²lǐ ​里 {E} n. ①neighborhood ②hometown; native place ③Surname ◆m. Chinese mile (1/2 kilometer or about 1/3 mile); tricent (300 paces)


The simple-form character 里 lǐ ‘village’ is an old character, also used as an abbrev. of the full-form character ​裡 lǐ ‘inside’ (in which it is a component), omitting the left-side full-form component ​衤(​衣); cf. ​裡.
    The Shuōwén Seal form of 里 lǐ ‘village (25 homesteads)’ combines ​田 tián ‘field/land’, and ​土 tǔ ‘earth/land’ (​五​家​为​邻, ​五​邻​为里).
    Note: As a unit of land area (number of parcels) the value of 里 varied over time: SW says it equals 25 family parcels (cf. ​廛 ‘homestead/parcel’), but later (presumably as parcels were subdivided) it was 50, 72, 80, 100, or 110 parcels; Karlgren saw the ‘village’ usage as explaining the origin of the ‘length’ usage.
    “[里] Village of 25 or 50 families; place of residence; (the length of the side of the said village:) length measure of about 600 meters” —Karlgren(AD).
    Note: As a unit of length, 里 has also varied over time (presumably as villages became larger): in ​周 Zhōu times it was 300 paces; later, it was 360 paces; or it was 1800 ​尺 (.576 km); or it was .5 km (​市里); with the advent of the metric system, today it is 1 km (​公里).
    Compare: ​市里 shìlǐ ‘500 meters (1/2 kilometer)’ (traditional 里 lǐ); ​公里 gōnglǐ ‘one kilometer’ (modern/metric 里 lǐ); ​英里 yīnglǐ ‘mile’.
    HDZ: 里 : lǐ : ​人​所​居​住​的​地​方 (​乡​村​的​庐​舍; ​乡​村​居​民​聚​落; ​巷​弄: ​城​邑​的​廛里、​街​坊); ​故​乡; ​居​住, ​为​邻; (​古) ​户​籍​管​理​的​一​级​组​织 (​二​十​五​家; ​五​十​家; ​七​十​二​家; ​八​十​家; ​百​家; ​一​百​一​十​户); (​单​位) ​长​度​单​位 (​市​制​一里​为​一​百​五​十​丈, ​合​公​制​五​百​米, ​二​分​之​一​公里; (​周) ​三​百​步; ​三​百​六​十​步; (​旧​营​造​库​平) 1800 ​尺 = .576 km); ​计​算 (里​程); (​语​气​词); (​方​言) ​们; (​古) (​少​数​民​族​名); ​裏/​裡: 里​面, ​内​部, (​简​体) ​裏/​裡; ​悝: ​忧​伤; ​理: ​道​理, ​常​理; (​姓)
►references: Guǎngyùn:252.18; Wieger:149d; Karlgren:AD529,GSR978a; Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn:6.3680.1; Lindqvist:167; Mathews:3857; Kāngxī Zìdiǎn:1291.02; Bǐshùn Guīfàn:048.0.08; EDOC:1
►components: ​田​土​
►Cantonese: leih/
►stroke 里 (... strokes)   
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Unicode: U+91CC
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