吏 lì official

源How it came to be

A hand holding up a tally on a pole. It was a clerk's token for what he could record. The characters for affair and history share this drawing, split three ways like the jobs.

用How it is used

• A minor government official/functionary (historical) - 官吏 (guānlì) officials, 贪官污吏 (tānguān-wūlì) corrupt officials.
• Old-China register; historically 吏 were the lower clerks under the ranking 官 (officials).
• Not used for modern officials in everyday speech - it evokes the imperial bureaucracy.

字Characters built with 吏

• 使 use

词Words with 吏

• 官吏guānlìbureaucratHSK 8