HSK 5 · Society

理论 lǐlùn “theory” in Chinese

Traditional 理論

What 理论 means

  1. theory
  2. to argue
  3. to take notice of

Measure word 个 gè · 一个理论 yí ge lǐlùn

How to say 理论

  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale理lǐ3rd tone, dipping
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale论lùn4th tone, falling

理论 in a sentence

  1. 实验证明了他的理论。

    Shíyàn zhèngmíng le tā de lǐlùn.

    The experiment proved his theory.

    Sentence #487444 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  2. 他的理论很难懂。

    Tā de lǐlùn hěn nán dǒng.

    It’s difficult to understand his theory.

    Sentence #846766 from Tatoeba

  3. 理论得联系实际。

    Lǐlùn děi liánxì shíjì.

    Theory must be linked to practice.

    Sentence #2254376 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

How 理论 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 理 (lǐ) with each of its parts in a different colour
理lǐtexture
  • 王king · wángMeaning part
  • 里village · lǐSound part

王 hints at the meaning (king); 里 (lǐ) hints at the sound. Compare it with lǐ.

Memory aid王 here is jade 玉: cutting jade along its grain. 里 (lǐ) gives the sound: to put in order, reason.

The character 论 (lùn) with each of its parts in a different colour
论lùnopinion
  • 讠speech form of 言 · yán
  • 仑logical reasons · lún

How to write 理论

理 11 strokes · 论 6 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

理论 (lǐlùn) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 理论 (lǐlùn). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 理论

Words with 理

经理jīnglǐ · manager理解lǐjiě · to comprehend理想lǐxiǎng · an ideal理发lǐfà · to get a haircut修理xiūlǐ · to repair整理zhěnglǐ · to arrange管理guǎnlǐ · to supervise办理bànlǐ · to handle处理chǔlǐ · to handle合理hélǐ · rational

Words with 论

讨论tǎolùn · to discuss无论wúlùn · no matter what or how辩论biànlùn · debate议论yìlùn · to comment争论zhēnglùn · to argue论文lùnwén · paper结论jiélùn · conclusion论证lùnzhèng · to prove评论pínglùn · to comment on言论yánlùn · speech

More words: Society & Law

集体jítǐ · collective (decision)纪律jìlǜ · discipline军事jūnshì · military affairs雷léi · thunder命令mìnglìng · order批准pīzhǔn · to approve枪qiāng · gun权力quánlì · power

FAQs

理论 (lǐlùn) means “theory” or “to argue”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it lǐlùn: lǐ with a 3rd tone, then lùn with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 理论 is written 理論. The pronunciation is the same.
Use 个 (gè). For example, one theory is 一个理论 (yí ge lǐlùn).
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type lilun with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 理论 from the suggestions. Typing lilun into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
理论 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

Turn words into conversations

A dictionary gives you the words. A native teacher shows you how to use them. Start with a free 30-minute intro call.

Book a free intro call

Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.