戾

lì
#4,219 most
frequent character
to bend, to violate, to go against

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

戾 shows a door 戶 and a dog 犬, so its first meaning was a dog waiting at the door. The meaning 'crooked' was borrowed only for its sound, with no link to that picture. From 'crooked' grew 'to bend or violate', then 'crime or offense'.

Drawn as: door; dog

戾 as a component in other characters

sound2 characters
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Homophones

HSK 5
粒lì
grain, granule
立lì
stand, erect, stand, found, set up
力lì
ability, capability (influence)
利lì
sharp, favourable, advantage
厉lì
strict, severe
励lì
to encourage, to urge

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