How to Write 逦 (lǐ) — Meaning “winding”

Imagine a winding road (辶) that passes through a beautiful (丽) landscape, with the road curving gracefully. The character 丽 has a roof-like top and two 'persons' below, so picture two people walking along a winding path. This connects the shape to the meaning of meandering.

The radical 辶 (walk) is written last, with the dot at the top left and the curved stroke flowing downward. Inside, 丽 has a long horizontal stroke on top, then two symmetrical 'person' shapes below. Avoid making the lower part too wide; the overall shape should be balanced and slightly narrow left to right.

迢 (tiáo) means 'far away' and has a different phonetic (召), while 迤 (yǐ) means 'winding' but is used in words like 迤逦 together. 逦 specifically appears in the compound 迤逦 to emphasize a continuous, meandering path, whereas 迢 focuses on distance. Visually, 迢 has 召 with a mouth and knife, while 迤 has 也 (also) inside.

逦 is almost always used in the word 迤逦 (yǐ lǐ), meaning winding or meandering, often to describe scenic paths, rivers, or mountain ranges. It appears in classical poetry and descriptive writing to evoke graceful, flowing landscapes. For learners, it is a literary character not needed for daily conversation.

Common words containing 逦 include: 迤逦 (yǐ lǐ) — winding / meandering; 逦迤 (lǐ yǐ) — winding; 逦逦 (lǐ lǐ) — continuous.