俪 (lì): husband and wife; a married cou…

Meanings

全家祝这对伉俪白头偕老。

Quánjiā zhù zhè duì kànglì báitóuxiélǎo.

The whole family wishes the happy couple a long life together.

他送新人一张俪影。

Tā sòng xīnrén yì zhāng lìyǐng.

He gave the newlyweds a photo of the two of them.

usage

Formal and literary. 伉俪 is a respectful word for a married couple, often on wedding cards; 俪影 is a flattering term for a couple's photo together.

radical

亻 rén

person

Left-side person radical, the side form of 人. A couple is two people, so the person radical anchors the 'pair / partner' meaning.

phonetic

丽 lì

beautiful; paired

Right side 丽 supplies the sound lì and also fits the sense — 丽 itself once pictured a matched pair, reinforcing 'couple'.

俪 lì