立 (lì) is a Chinese character meaning “to stand”. It is written from 亠 (lid) and 丷 (two spreading strokes) and 一 (one), and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “to stand”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亠 + 丷 + 一
Top–middle–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 5 笔核验：亠 第 1–2 笔 + 丷 第 3–4 笔 + 一 第 5 笔）
Memory aid
A dot on a line (亠) for the head and shoulders, two short strokes (丷) for the legs braced apart, and one long 一 underneath for the ground: someone standing firm.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 站立zhàn lìto stand立 = lì
- 立刻lì kèimmediately立 = lì
- 屹立yì lìto stand towering; to stand firm立 = lì
- 立即lì jíimmediately; at once立 = lì
- 孤立gū lìisolated; cut off from others立 = lì
- 独立dú lìindependent; independence; to stand alone立 = lì
- 竖立shù lìto stand upright; to erect; to set up vertically立 = lì
- 耸立sǒng lìto tower; to stand tall立 = lì
- 肃立sù lìto stand at attention in respectful silence立 = lì
Go deeper
All readings
to stand
to stand; to stand upright; to set up, to establish; immediate
站着；直立。也表示建立、设立，或马上、即刻。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 站立zhàn lìto stand立 = lì
- 立刻lì kèimmediately立 = lì
- 屹立yì lìto stand towering; to stand firm立 = lì
- 立即lì jíimmediately; at once立 = lì
- 孤立gū lìisolated; cut off from others立 = lì
- 独立dú lìindependent; independence; to stand alone立 = lì
- 竖立shù lìto stand upright; to erect; to set up vertically立 = lì
- 耸立sǒng lìto tower; to stand tall立 = lì
- 肃立sù lìto stand at attention in respectful silence立 = lì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 立 mean?
立 (lì) means to stand; to stand upright; to set up, to establish; immediate.
How do you pronounce 立?
It is pronounced lì.
What parts is 立 made of?
亠 (lid) and 丷 (two spreading strokes) and 一 (one). The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 5 笔核验：亠 第 1–2 笔 + 丷 第 3–4 笔 + 一 第 5 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 立 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 立?
立. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 立?
Common ones are 站立 and 立刻. The reading of 立 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.