禮

In Traditional Chinese, the component on the left of U+79AE is 礻. In Korean hanja and Japanese kyūjitai, the component on the left of U+79AE is 示 rather than 礻, which is also the historical form that appears in the Kangxi dictionary. A CJK compatibility ideograph exists at U+F9B6 to reflect the form found in the Kangxi dictionary.

禮 (Kangxi radical 113, 示+13, 18 strokes, cangjie input 戈火廿田廿 (IFTWT), four-corner 3521₈, composition ⿰礻豊(GHTV) or ⿰示豊(JK or U+F9B6))

• 𡅏, 𡓾, 𡤠, 𢹿, 𣠲, 𧕬, 𨰋

• 礼 (Japanese shinjitai and Simplified Chinese)

• KangXi: page 847, character 7
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 24844
• Dae Jaweon: page 1268, character 9
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2409, character 14
• Unihan data for U+79AE
• Unihan data for U+F9B6

Historical forms of the character 禮
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States		Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Ancient script	Small seal script

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *riːʔ) and ideogrammic compound (會意) : semantic 礻 (“altar”) + phonetic 豊 (OC *riːʔ, “ceremony”) – performing rites at the altar.

Originally written 豊, see there for more.

Uncertain. Schuessler (2007) proposes that this is an old areal etymon. Compare Tibetan [script needed] (zhe-sa, “respect, honor, deference”), [script needed] (rje-bo, “lord, nobleman”), [script needed] (rjed, “to honor; reverence”); Mru [script needed] (ri, “ritual”) is possibly borrowed from Austroasiatic (cf. Mon [script needed] (rèh seh, “to respect, to revere”); Thin Khmu [script needed] (rɛh, “to lift up”); both from Proto-Mon-Khmer *reh (“to raise up, to exalt”)).

禮

1. ritual; rite; ceremony

   婚禮／婚礼  ―  hūnlǐ  ―  wedding

   喪禮／丧礼  ―  sānglǐ  ―  funeral

   • 我孔熯矣、式禮莫愆。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     我孔熯矣、式礼莫愆。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Wǒ kǒng shàn yǐ, shì lǐ mò qiān. [Pinyin]

     We are very much exhausted, and have performed every ceremony without error.

   • 卒廷見相如，畢禮而歸之。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     卒廷见相如，毕礼而归之。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Zú tíng jiàn Xiāngrú, bì lǐ ér guī zhī. [Pinyin]

     In the end, (King Zhaoxiang of Qin) granted (Lin) Xiangru an audience at his court, completed the ceremonies, and sent him back.

2. rules of etiquette; rules of propriety

   • 夫子循循然善誘人，博我以文，約我以禮。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     夫子循循然善诱人，博我以文，约我以礼。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Fūzǐ xúnxún rán shànyòu rén, bó wǒ yǐ wén, yuē wǒ yǐ lǐ. [Pinyin]

     The Master, by orderly method, skillfully leads men on. He enlarged my mind with learning, and taught me the restraints of propriety.

   • 夫禮者，所以定親疏，決嫌疑，別同異，明是非也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     夫礼者，所以定亲疏，决嫌疑，别同异，明是非也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

     Fú lǐ zhě, suǒyǐ dìng qīnshū, jué xiányí, bié tóngyì, míng shìfēi yě. [Pinyin]

     They are the rules of propriety, that furnish the means of determining (the observances towards) relatives, as near and remote; of settling points which may cause suspicion or doubt; of distinguishing where there should be agreement, and where difference; and of making clear what is right and what is wrong.

3. courtesy; etiquette; manners

   敬禮／敬礼  ―  jìnglǐ  ―  to salute

   禮多人不怪／礼多人不怪  ―  lǐduōrénbùguài  ―  nobody will find fault with extra courtesy

4. present; gift (Classifier: 份 m c)

   禮物／礼物  ―  lǐwù  ―  gift

5. to treat with respect and courtesy

   敬賢禮士／敬贤礼士  ―  jìngxiánlǐshì  ―  to treat worthies and intellectuals respectfully and courteously

6. 48th tetragram of the Taixuanjing; "ritual" (𝌵)
7. a surname

Usually, a single 禮／礼 (lǐ) refers to a gift that involves more serious social interaction. For gifts between friends, 禮物／礼物 (lǐwù) is used instead.

• “禮”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

(“Jinmeiyō” kanji used for names, kyūjitai kanji, shinjitai form 礼)

1. Kyūjitai form of 礼 (“propriety; courtesy; politeness; etiquette”)

• Go-on: らい (rai)
• Kan-on: れい (rei)
• Nanori: ひろ (hiro); れ (re)

From Middle Chinese 禮 (MC leiX).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ɾje̞] ~ [je̞]
• Phonetic hangul: [례/예]

Wikisource 禮 (eumhun 례도/예도 례 (ryedo/yedo rye), South Korea 례도/예도 예 (ryedo/yedo ye))

1. Hanja form^? of 례/예 (“manners; etiquette”).

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

禮: Hán Việt readings: lễ (里(lí)弟(đệ)切(thiết))[1][2][3]
禮: Nôm readings: lễ[1][2][4], lạy[3][5], lẻ[1][3][5][4], lẫy[2][3][5][4], rẽ[2][3], rẩy[2][5], lẩy[3][5], lãi[3][4], lể[5][4], lởi[3], lỡi[3], lấy[3], lảy[4], rẻ[4]

1. chữ Hán form of lễ (“ritual; etiquette; to kowtow; an offering; ceremony”).
2. Nôm form of lạy (“to kowtow”).
3. Nôm form of lẻ (“odd (not divisible by two)”).