DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

厲害

简厉害 · 繁厲害

Mandarin · pinyin lì hai

(used to describe sb or sth that makes a very strong impression, whether favorable or unfavorable) terrible; intense; severe; devastating; amazing; awesome; outstanding
(of a person) stern; strict; harsh; shrewd; tough
(of an animal) fierce
(of a resemblance) striking
(of liquor or chili pepper) strong
(of bacteria) virulent

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

厲: Look up this written character
害: hài · injure, harm; destroy, kill
厉: lì · whetstone; grind, sharpen; whet

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–5 · li4 hai5

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

2character links1same-tone record

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

厲害 · find source passages ↗ · 厉害 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 4 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

lai6 hoi6 · lei6 hoi6

Cantonese word readings for 厲害. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

adj

(of a wild animal, a person's temper, words, etc.) fierce
strict; stern; severe
(of illness, heat, cold, etc.) intense; severe; serious
(informal) excellent; amazing; fantastic; impressive

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack