Pinyin initial: "li"

The Pinyin initial "li" is used in the first half of Pinyin syllables. In MandarinBanana's mnemonic system, "li" belongs to the group of Pinyin initials which are represented in mnemonics by women. You can visit the Pinyin index to see all Pinyin syllables from this mnemonic group, or to see all Pinyin syllables "li" can appear in.

Mnemonics for li

Li is for Li Qingzhao, writer and poet of the Song Dynasty.

Characters with li

to finish / to achieve / variant of 瞭|了[liao3] / to understand clearly

= + : Mnemonic symbol from "to finish" and the shape of the character: a prize cup.

Li Qingzhao (li) is responsible for manufacturing a prize cup (了). She only needs to add a poetic engraving. Unfortunately, she suffers from a writer's block. In the aorta's living room (ao3), someone left a cryptic message engraved on the walls using a sickle (乛), which is still lying on the floor. Being an accomplished poet Li Qingzhao is able to understand the message clearly (了), realizes its poetic potential and starts to engrave it on the prize cup using a crowbar (亅).
unofficial variant of 瞭[liao4]
(of eyes) bright / clear-sighted / to understand clearly
surname Li
to stand / to set up / to establish / to lay down / to draw up / at once / immediately

= + : Li Qing Zhao hides some weed in a vase in the space station's bathroom. To get the weed there, she transports it under her beret.
li, ancient measure of length, approx. 500 m / neighborhood / ancient administrative unit of 25 families / (Tw) borough, administrative unit between the township 鎮|镇[zhen4] and neighborhood 鄰|邻[lin2] levels
Li (surname)
lining / interior / inside / internal / also written 裏|里[li3]

= + : Mnemonic symbol: a sunflower. The 田 part looks like the blossom and 土 looks like the stem and leaves. Li Qingzhao (li) wants to put up a field (田) inside (里) the space station's living room (Ø3). First she puts some earth (土) here and there, and then she plants lots of sunflowers (里).
variant of 裡|里[li3]
power / force / strength / ability / strenuously

= + 丿 : Mnemonic symbol: a power button.

Li Qingzhao (li) just had a shower in the space station's bathroom (Ø4) and wants to use the hair dryer, but there's no plug, just the bare end of the cable! She uses all her power to build an electricity plug, and for the two pins she uses a plough (㇆) and a banana (丿). Finally she hits a big power button (力) to turn the power on.
surname Li
six / 6

= + : 666 is the number of the Beast, so I'll represent 六 in other character's mnemonics as the Beast. Li Qingzhao is balancing a beret on an eight ball in the outhouse's bathroom, but suddenly the Beast appears and blasts it all.
two / both / some / a few / tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤[jin1] (old)

= + + : Li Qingzhao is on a treasure hunt in the anglepod, following a secret map she found. Finally she found a treasure chest guarded by a rubber chicken which she has to overcome. Luckily, the map mentions a tune that Li Qingzhao plays on her flute, and thus bewitching the rubber chicken. The rubber chicken releases the treasure chest, which is full of taels of gold.
other / another / separate / separately

= + : Mnemonic symbol: to separate two liquids, one can use a distiller.

= + : In engine's bathroom Li Qingzhao wants to distill a liquor out of mandarins, but she can't find a wall plug to plug the distiller's power cable in.
to order / to command / an order / warrant / writ / to cause / to make sth happen / virtuous / honorific title / season / government position (old) / type of short song or poem

= + : As a mnemonic symbol, I'm going to use a 令牌, which was a tablet to identify someone as an official sent by the emperor to convey the emperor's orders.

= + : Li Qingzhao has been sent by the emperor to collect rent from the English, but they are nowhere to be found. Finally, Li Qingzhao arrived at the engine's bathroom, ready to show her 令牌, raise the finger and show to the date of payday on the calendar—if there were anyone in the engine's bathroom.
used in 脊令[ji2 ling2] / used in 令狐[Ling2 hu2] (Taiwan pr. [ling4])
classifier for a ream of paper
zero / nought / zero sign / fractional / fragmentary / odd (of numbers) / (placed between two numbers to indicate a smaller quantity followed by a larger one) / fraction / (in mathematics) remainder (after division) / extra / to wither and fall / to wither

= + : Just inside the engine's kitchen ((e)ng2) it is raining (雨) heavily. Li Qingzhao (li) wants to flee the rain and to enter engine, but she has no pocket money (零钱) anymore. Instead, she shows her very special name tag (令) in the hope of being let in, but unfortunately it is not recognized.
sharp / favorable / advantage / benefit / profit / interest / to do good to / to benefit

= + : Mnemonic symbol: the rocket Arianne, 亚利安娜.

Li Qingzhao (li) prepares to go back to earth in the Arianne rocket (利). In the space station's bathroom (Ø4) she prepares for the trip by stuffing lots of cereals (禾) into the rocket and sharpening (利) the tip of the rocket with a kitchen knife (刂).
surname Li

= + : Mnemonic symbol: the rocket Arianne, 亚利安娜.

Li Qingzhao (li) prepares to go back to earth in the Arianne rocket (利). In the space station's bathroom (Ø4) she prepares for the trip by stuffing lots of cereals (禾) into the rocket and sharpening (利) the tip of the rocket with a kitchen knife (刂).