How to Write 醴 (lǐ) — Meaning “Sweet wine or sweet spring”

Picture the left side 酉 as a wine bottle, and the right side 豊 as an ornate ritual cup filled with honey-like sweet liquid. Imagine saying "li, sweet li" as you see the fancy cup, linking the sound lǐ to the idea of sweetness.

Pay special attention to the right side 豊: it has 13 strokes, starting with 曲 (a bent shape, 6 strokes) on top, then 豆 (bean, 7 strokes) below. A common mistake is to write the top of 豊 like 豊 (fēng) which uses 彐 instead of 曲; the correct top has three horizontal lines and a vertical stroke descending through them.

醴 (lǐ) means sweet wine or sweet spring, 醪 (láo) refers to unfiltered or thick wine, and 醭 (bú) means mold on fermented foods like vinegar. Visually, 醴 has 豊 on the right, 醪 has 翏 (many strokes), and 醭 has 菐 (a grass-like component). Their meanings are distinct: only 醴 emphasizes sweetness and ritual use.

Today 醴 is quite rare, mostly appearing in literary phrases like 醴泉 (sweet spring) and 甘醴 (sweet wine), or in place names such as Lí County in Hunan. It carries an elegant, classical feel and is often encountered in poetry or discussions of ancient Chinese rituals and customs.

Common words containing 醴 include: 醴泉 (lǐ quán) — Sweet spring; 甘醴 (gān lǐ) — sweet wine; sweet spring water; 醴酒 (lǐ jiǔ) — Sweet wine.