The word "李" means "wood" above it, and its meaning is "plum tree" or wood. From this, it is determined that the main five elements of "Li" are "wood".
Basic meaning:
Li, a commonly used Chinese character, pronounced as lǐ, was first seen in oracle bone inscriptions[2] or bronze inscriptions. Its original meaning is a deciduous tree with white flowers in spring. A tree that bears sweet and sour fruits in summer. "The fruit of trees" uses "木" as the side character and "子" as the tone character. ?
Later, the sweet and sour fruit stimulates body fluids and relieves hardship and fatigue. It is almost a necessary comfort product for ancient travelers who trekked long distances, so it evolved into a synonym for journey preparation supplies in travelers’ luggage. Today it is mainly used as a surname.
Extended information
Evolution of glyphs
Word group explanation:
1. Luggage
[xíng li] ?
The suitcases, bedding, etc. that you bring when traveling.
2. Tao Li
[táo lǐ]?
Di Renjie in the Tang Dynasty recommended Yao Yuanchong and dozens of other people to the court, and they all became famous ministers. Someone said to Di: All the peaches and plums in the world belong to your family. Later, "peaches and plums" were used as a metaphor to refer to the students he educated: peaches and plums are everywhere in the world.
3. Queli
[què lǐ]?
The name of the fruit tree. That is Yu Li.
4. Gao Li
[gāo lǐ]?
The joint name of Tang poets Gao Shi and Li Bai.
5. Plum
[yǒu lǐ]?
The name of the fruit tree is Plum.