How to Write 黧 (lí) — Meaning “Dark brown; sallow; swarthy”

Imagine a person with dark skin (黑) who benefits (利) from spending too much time in the sun. The black radical on top and the sound component 利 below help you recall both the meaning and pronunciation of 黧.

The character has 20 strokes; write the top radical 黑 first, then the bottom part 利. Be careful to make the top wide and the bottom narrow, and do not confuse the bottom with 黎 (lí) which has extra strokes on the left. A common mistake is adding an extra dot inside the bottom component.

黧 (lí) means swarthy skin and has 黑 on top with 利 below. 黟 (yī) means a black stone and has 黑 on top with 多 below. 黠 (xiá) means clever or crafty and has 黑 on top with 吉 below. The bottom part changes both the pronunciation and the meaning completely.

黧 is not common in daily conversation but appears in classical literature and poetic descriptions of dark skin or aging. For example, the word 黧黑 (lí hēi) describes a sun-tanned or weathered complexion. It is also used in the term 黧老 (lí lǎo) to refer to elderly people with sallow skin, reflecting a traditional cultural association between darkness and age or hard work.

Common words containing 黧 include: 黧黑 (lí hēi) — Swarthy; dark-skinned; 黧老 (lí lǎo) — An old person with sallow skin; 黧黄 (lí huáng) — Sallow; dark yellow.