Li
/liː/noun
A traditional Chinese unit of distance, whose length varied historically and is commonly standardized today as about 500 meters.
Did you know?The Chinese li was never perfectly fixed: its value shifted across dynasties, so ancient journeys could change meaning depending on who ruled.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, 1st millennium BCE
Old Chinese
里
“A settlement, residential area, or administrative village unit”
Han Dynasty, 206 BCE–220 CE
Chinese
里
“A regulated territorial and distance unit used in administration and travel”
Middle Chinese, c. 600–900 CE
Middle Chinese
lɨX
“A distance measure whose exact length varied by period and locality”
17th Century
European sinology
li
“A Chinese measure of distance recorded by European travelers and scholars”
Modern English
English
li
“A Chinese unit of distance, commonly treated as approximately 500 meters”