How to Write 俪 (lì) — Meaning “couple or pair”

Think of two people (亻) standing side by side, looking beautiful (丽) together as a perfect pair. You can picture a handsome couple in a wedding photo to link the components to the meaning of 'couple'.

Pay attention to the right side 丽: it has two dots on top, then two short horizontal lines inside the box, not one continuous stroke. The left radical 亻 should be narrow and slightly taller, while 丽 is wider and balanced. A common mistake is to make the right side too tall or forget the second dot.

俪 has the right side 丽 (beautiful), while 伯 has 白 (white) and means 'uncle' or 'earl', and 估 has 古 (ancient) and means 'estimate'. Visually, 俪's right side has two dots on top, whereas 伯 has a flat top and 估 has a ten-shaped top.

俪 is mostly used in formal or literary contexts, such as 伉俪 (kàng lì) for 'married couple' in respectful writing like wedding invitations. 俪影 (lì yǐng) refers to a couple's photo or silhouette. You won't hear it in daily conversation, so it adds an elegant tone.

Common words containing 俪 include: 伉俪 (kàng lì) — A married couple; 俪影 (lì yǐng) — a couple's silhouette or photo; 骈俪 (pián lì) — Parallelism (in prose).