隶 (lì): to be subordinate to; to belong…

Meanings

1 to be subordinate to; to belong to
2 (historical) servant; bondsman
3 the clerical script (隶书)

Characters

隶

lì

subordinate; servant; clerical script

Examples

这家公司隶属于教育部。

Zhèjiā gōngsī lìshǔ yú jiàoyùbù.

This company falls under the Ministry of Education.

他喜欢练隶书。

Tā xǐhuan liàn lìshū.

He likes to practice clerical script (calligraphy).

Tips

usage

Modern uses cluster around two senses. (1) 隶属 (lìshǔ) and 隶 in administrative writing meaning 'belongs under / subordinate to'. (2) 隶书 (lìshū), the clerical script — the calligraphic style that emerged in the Han dynasty as a streamlined replacement for seal script. The 'servant' sense is mostly historical (奴隶 'slave').

history

From there extended to 'capture, subordinate, servant'. Indexes very few characters as a radical (隸 itself is the main resident); mostly preserved out of fidelity to Kangxi numbering.

Components

pictograph

隶 lì

to be subordinate; servant

Pictograph: a hand 又 grabbing the tail of an animal, hairs flying — capture in progress. The captured beast became metaphor for a captured person, hence 'servant, subordinate.' Itself a Kangxi radical, so 隶 stands as one unit. The clerical script 隶书 takes its name from this character.

Radical

Subordinate Kangxi #171

The 'subordinate/capture' radical. Originally a hand grabbing a tail — the metaphor for capture, then for one captured, then for a servant. Almost no productivity in modern characters; 隶 itself and the traditional 隸 are the main residents. Survives mostly as a free morpheme in 隶属 (subordinate to) and 隶书 (clerical script).