詈

lì
verb

Meanings

  1. 1 to curse; to scold; to revile

Examples

HSK 6
Tā qì de pòkǒu-dàmà, lìmà bùzhǐ.
She was so angry that she cursed and reviled him without stopping.

Tips

history
Rare as a standalone word in modern Chinese. It survives mainly in the literary compounds 詈骂 (to curse) and 诟詈 (to abuse and revile); everyday speech uses 骂 instead.
memory
Picture a net 罒 cast over words 言 - speech trapping and entangling someone in blame: cursing and scolding.

Components

radical
言 yán
speech; words
The speech radical 言 below carries the core meaning - this is an act done with the mouth: cursing and scolding.
semantic
罒 wǎng
net
The net 罒 on top, written flat here, suggests ensnaring - words flung to entangle and accuse, capturing the idea of reviling.

Stroke Order

詈 lì