鲤 (lǐ): carp (fish)

Measure Word

一条鲤 tiáo

Meanings

1 carp (fish)

Characters

鲤

lǐ

carp

Examples

池塘里有很多红色的鲤。

Chítáng lǐ yǒu hěnduō hóngsè de lǐ.

There are many red carp in the pond.

鲤鱼跳龙门是一个著名的传说。

Lǐyú tiào lóng mén shì yīgè zhùmíng de chuánshuō.

The carp leaping through the dragon gate is a famous legend.

Tips

culture

In Chinese culture, the carp (鲤鱼) symbolizes perseverance and success. The legend of 鲤鱼跳龙门 (carp leaping over the dragon gate) represents achieving great things through effort, often applied to passing imperial exams or gaining promotion.

Components

radical

鱼 yú

fish

Left fish radical — the indexing radical, pictograph of a fish on its side with head, body and tail. Anchors 鲤 in the freshwater-fish family with 鲫 (crucian carp), 鲈 (perch), 鲨 (shark). Carp are the prototypical Chinese pond fish — both food and auspicious symbol of perseverance (the 'leaping the dragon gate' legend).

phonetic

里 lǐ

village; inside; mile

Right side 里 supplies the sound directly (lǐ → lǐ, exact match). Same phonetic anchors a broad family: 理 (reason), 厘 (decimal), 哩 (interjection). The 'village / interior' meaning is incidental, though carp do thrive in village ponds — a useful mnemonic for the radical-phonetic pair.