勒 lēi to strangle
to strangle; to bind
How to remember 勒: 革 leather + 力 power = to strangle. The new leather collar pulls with such power every time the puppy runs that the vet warns it could begin to strangle him.
Component breakdown
勒 = 革 leather + 力 power
- 革 leather
- 力 power
The new leather collar pulls with such power every time the puppy runs that the vet warns it could begin to strangle him.
How it is used
- To rein in tight / bind and pull - two readings: lēi in speech (绳子勒得太紧 lēi de tài jǐn the rope is too tight, 勒脖子 to strangle).
- lè in compounds and formal use - 勾勒 (gōulè) to sketch an outline, 悬崖勒马 (xuányá-lèmǎ) to rein in the horse at the cliff's edge, i.e. pull back just in time.
- Also a common phonetic in loanwords/names (勒索 lèsuǒ to extort).