How to Write 吏 (lì) — Meaning “official; bureaucrat (ancient)”

Imagine an official wearing a tall hat (the top horizontal line), opening his mouth (口) to give orders, and then crossing his arms (乂) sternly. This image of a bossy figure helps link the shape to the meaning "official."

Write the top horizontal line long, then draw a narrow 口 shape centered under it. Finally, add a left-falling stroke (撇) and a right-falling stroke (捺) that cross each other at the bottom — be careful not to write them as a 又 (you) character. The bottom crossing should extend slightly beyond the sides of the mouth.

吏 has a top horizontal line and a bottom cross (乂), while 古 has a ten (十) above the mouth and no bottom cross. 卟 is very rare and has a 卜 (divination) on the right side instead of a cross. In meaning, 吏 means "official," 古 means "ancient," and 卟 refers to a sound or crowing — so they are not interchangeable.

吏 is not an everyday character but appears in historical or formal phrases like 官吏 (officials) and 贪官污吏 (corrupt officials). In ancient China, 吏 specifically referred to lower-ranking administrative clerks, as opposed to higher-ranking 官, so it carries a nuance of bureaucratic service or sometimes corruption.

Common words containing 吏 include: 官吏 (guān lì) — Officials; 吏治 (lì zhì) — administration of officials; governance; 贪官污吏 (tān guān wū lì) — Corrupt officials.