How to Write 勒 (lè/lēi) — Meaning “to rein in; to strangle; to force”

Imagine a leather strap (革) and a strong arm (力) pulling it tight to 'le' (勒) the horse to stop. The sound 'le' is like 'leh' — think of saying 'hey, stop!' with a pull of the rein. This picture links the shape and sound to the meaning of controlling or tightening.

The left part 革 has many horizontal strokes; keep them evenly spaced and not too long. The right part 力 should start slightly lower than the top of 革, and its hook should curve inward. A common mistake is making 革 too wide or writing 力 too high, which looks unbalanced.

勃 (bó) has 孛 on the left and means 'sudden' or 'burst forth,' like in 蓬勃 (prosperous). 勇 (yǒng) has 甬 on top and 力 below, meaning 'brave' or 'courageous.' 勒 (lè) uses 革 on the left and means 'to rein in' or 'to force' — the key difference is the left radical and the core meaning.

勒 appears in formal words like 勒索 (extort) and 勒令 (formally order), usually describing forceful or official actions. It is less common in daily speech, but when pronounced lēi it means 'to tighten,' like 勒紧 your belt. This character often carries a sense of control or pressure, both physically and socially.

Common words containing 勒 include: 勒索 (lè suǒ) — to extort; to blackmail; 勒令 (lè lìng) — to order; to command (formally); 勒紧 (lēi jǐn) — To tighten; to cinch.