虑 (lǜ) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

虑

lǜ[lu:4]Tone 4

to consider, anxiety

HSK 4

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慮

Guru Deep Dive

English · to consider, anxiety

Cached lesson

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:10

Writing Balance Rule: The top tiger/roof element should crown the structure gracefully, keeping the lower heart component balanced and centered underneath.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 慮 was simplified to 虑 by streamlining the upper component and standardizing the internal structure.

1. Meaning

to think over, to consider

anxietyconcernworry

verb / nounNeutralBound morpheme#mental action#emotion#cognition

Sample Usage

我们要认真考虑这个问题。
Wǒmen yào rènzhēn kǎolǜ zhège wèntí.
We need to carefully consider this issue.
无忧无虑
wú yōu wú lǜ
free from worries and cares

2. Sound

/[lu⁵¹]/Tone: 51

虑

lǜlv4

`(51)

=lǜ

Initial Consonant

Type: Alveolar Lateral

Sounds like: l sound as in 'love'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Air flows freely around both sides of tongue.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge behind the upper front teeth.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -v vowel group

Sounds like: ü rhymes with German ü or French u

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ü'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops abruptly, much like saying 'No!' in English with sharp emphasis.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the retroflex or rounded vowels; make sure the ü is fully rounded and distinct from an ordinary u.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, firm karate chop downward from high to low, reflecting a decisive downward drop in pitch.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 10 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top tiger/roof element should crown the structure gracefully, keeping the lower heart component balanced and centered underneath.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 慮 was simplified to 虑 by streamlining the upper component and standardizing the internal structure.

4. Components

Radical 心 · Heart Radical (heart, mind, emotions)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 心 (indicates that thinking and anxiety stem from the mind or heart)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 虍 (original sound: hū / lù phonetic derivation)

A tiger roof (虍) guarding over thoughts originating deep within the heart (心), representing deep rumination and consideration.

虍 tiger stripes / roof structure
心 heart or mind

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

3· Phonetic Root: 虑 (lǜ)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined elements indicating a fierce mental burden or deep observation, later anchored by the heart component to signify mental processing and anxiety.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from a broad description of mental strain or watching closely to active cognitive consideration and emotional worry.

The tiger head element (虍) historically provided both phonetic hints and a visual sense of intense watchfulness.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

lự

Corresponds to the Vietnamese nặng tone in certain derivatives.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: リョ / Kun: おもんぱか.る

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

려

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a ferocious tiger (虍) pacing back and forth inside your heart (心), making you stop to deeply consider (虑) every move with intense anxiety.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

滤

lǜto filterAdds water (氵) to mean filtering liquid.

庐

lúhutAdds a shelter/cliff radical (广) to mean a cottage.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

虎(hǔ)

虎 lacks the heart (心) component at the bottom; it is just the animal tiger.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这件事情我们需要仔细地 [___] 一下。

Clue: kǎo lǜ

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the top component with the standalone character for tiger (虎) and forgetting the heart (心) at the bottom.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 虑 mean when seen in words like 考虑?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to consider / anxiety' (lù) using its tiger and heart parts?

虑lǜto consider, anxiety

Speed:

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