How to Write 立 (lì) — Meaning “To stand; to establish; immediately”

Imagine a person standing with their arms stretched out sideways, forming the two horizontal lines, and their legs together as the bottom line. The dot on top can be their head. This visual helps you remember that 立 means "to stand."

The stroke order is: dot, horizontal, dot, left-falling stroke, horizontal line at the bottom. Make sure the top dot is centered, and the two horizontal lines are parallel and similar in length. A common mistake is making the bottom horizontal too short or writing the left-falling stroke too vertical.

Three common words are 站立 (zhàn lì, to stand up), which describes the physical action of standing; 立即 (lì jí, immediately), used to express urgency or something happening without delay; and 建立 (jiàn lì, to establish/set up), used for founding organizations, relationships, or systems.

立 is a very common character used both literally and figuratively. For example, in the idiom 立竿见影 (lì gān jiàn yǐng, "set up a pole and see its shadow") it means immediate results. Culturally, 立 also appears in the names of the 24 solar terms, like 立春 (Start of Spring), marking seasonal beginnings.

Common words containing 立 include: 站立 (zhàn lì) — To stand up; 立即 (lì jí) — Immediately; promptly; 建立 (jiàn lì) — To establish / To set up.