How to Write 澧 (lǐ) — Meaning “Li (name of a river)”

Imagine the water radical 氵 as a flowing river, and the right part 豊 looks like a field of plants (曲) on top of a ritual vessel (豆). Picture a river flowing through a rich, fertile land — this helps you recall 澧 as the name of a river in a lush area.

Pay attention to the right part 豊: the top is 曲, which has two vertical strokes inside, not a mountain shape. The bottom is 豆, and the whole right side should be balanced with the three-dot water radical on the left, not too wide or narrow.

澧 has the water radical 氵 on the left, while 滕 has a flesh radical (月 on the left) and 滴 also has 氵 but a right side that looks like 商 (meaning "drip"). Their meanings are different: 澧 is a place or river name, 滕 is a surname or ancient place, and 滴 means "to drip".

澧 is almost exclusively used in proper names, such as the 澧水 (Lǐ Shuǐ) River in Hunan province and 澧县 (Lǐ Xiàn), a county named after that river. You will rarely see it in everyday conversation, but it appears in geography and history contexts, and in classical Chinese poetry.

Common words containing 澧 include: 澧水 (lǐ shuǐ) — Li River; 澧县 (lǐ xiàn) — Li County; 澧浦 (lǐ pǔ) — Lipu (bank of the Li River).