禮物 / 礼物
lǐwù
The English word "gift" can be translated into Chinese as 禮物 / 礼物 (lǐwù).
Meaning: something given to another voluntarily, without charge (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 禮物 / 礼物 | lǐwù | |
| 禮物 / 礼物 | lé-bu̍t / lé-mi̍h / lé-mn̍gh | Hokkien |
A gift is something given to another voluntarily and without charge. To express the action of giving something as a gift, you can use the transitive verbs 贈送 / 赠送 or 送.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Dungan language, you may use лищин or ли. In Hokkien, the word is expressed as 禮物 / 礼物 (romanized as lé-bu̍t, lé-mi̍h or lé-mn̍gh).
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The Hokkien forms are pronounced lé-bu̍t, lé-mi̍h or lé-mn̍gh.
When do people say it?
You can use the term 小礼物 (xiǎo lǐ wù) to mean "small gift," which is often used to emphasize modesty or the thoughtfulness behind the gesture.
Did you know?
- Giving a clock as a 禮物 is considered a major taboo because the phrase 'giving a clock' sounds identical to a phrase meaning 'attending a funeral'.
- When receiving a gift, it is customary to initially refuse it once or twice to show modesty and avoid appearing greedy before finally accepting it.
- The word '禮' (lǐ) in '禮物' refers not just to an object, but to the ancient concept of 'ritual' or 'proper decorum'.
Examples in context
- 我给你准备了一份特别的礼物。(Wǒ gěi nǐ zhǔnbèi le yī fèn tèbié de lǐwù.)I have prepared a special gift for you.
- 公司对优秀员工进行了一次激励性的馈赠。(Gōngsī duì yōuxiù yuángōng jìnxíngle yī cì jīlì xìng de kuìzèng.)The company provided an incentive gift to outstanding employees.
- 这家商店赠送了一些小型赠品，以感谢新顾客。(Zhè jiā shāngdiàn zèngsòng le yīxiē xiǎoxíng zèngpǐn, yǐ gǎnxiè xīn gùkè.)This store gave away some small complimentary gifts to thank new customers.
- 我从旅行中给你带了个特别的东西。(Wǒ cóng lǚxíng zhōng gěi nǐ dài le gè tèbié de dōngxi.)I brought you a special gift from my trip.
- 我只是带了个小礼物，希望你能喜欢。(Wǒ zhǐshì dài le gè xiǎo lǐwù, xīwàng nǐ néng xǐhuān.)It's just a small gift, I hope you will like it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gift” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
