li

noun

1. 1

   The Chinese mile, a traditional unit of distance equal to 1500 chis or 150 zhangs, now standardized as a half-kilometer (500 meters).

   It was a whole day's journey from I-ch'eng to Chü-wo which, in turn, is about 60 li east of Chiang Chou — one of the most important cities in southern Shansi and a center for curio-dealers.

   In 1979, while we were conducting our archaeological work in Yucheng and Quwo, Shanxi province, I noticed another historical record in the Kuodizhi (a comprehensive account of geography written in 641), which stated that "the ancient city of Tang was 20 li west of Yuchengxian in Jiangzhou."

   The two gods who accompany Matsu, one with eyes that can see 1000 li⁶ and the other with ears that can hear far over the horizon, represent empathy, observation, and feeling. Government should be like Matsu, equipped with acute powers of observation; see clearly to the bottom of issues, and know how to respond.

2. 2

   The Korean mile, a traditional unit of distance equivalent to about 393 m.

   While scaling the Laoyeling Mountains, the Chinese Worker-Peasant Red Army, under the command of Mao Ze-dong and Zhu De, was successfully stepping up the historic 25 000-li Long March in China proper, breaking through the surrounding rings formed by Chiang Kai-shek’s army.

noun

1. 1

   A traditional Chinese unit of weight, equal to one-thousandth of a liang, or fifty milligrams.

noun

1. 1

   A meaningful ceremony or ritual; etiquette, behaviour.

noun

1. 1

   An ancient Chinese cauldron having three hollow legs.

noun

1. 1

   In solfège, the raised sixth note of a major scale (the note A-sharp in the fixed-do system).

Forms

plural

lis