How to say “reasonable” in Chinese

合理
hélǐ

reasonable

adjective · HSK 5 · topic “Opinions and arguments”

“Reasonable” in Chinese is 合理, hé lǐ: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.

How to pronounce it

合理 is read hé lǐ: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

hé — 2nd tonerising, like a surprised “huh?”
lǐ — 3rd tonelow, dipping and rising a little

How to write it

合
hé — join; fit

The same sign forms the top of 拿 “take, hold”.

理
lǐ — order; manage

On the left, 王 “jade”; on the right, 里 lǐ hints at the sound.

Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “合理”.

Examples

Sentences from the course lessons with 合理. Tap the sound icon to listen.

  • 他的理由很合理tādelǐyóuhěnhélǐHis argument is quite reasonable.
  • 你的理由不合理nǐdelǐyóubùhélǐYour argument doesn't hold up.
  • 这套房子的结构很合理zhètàofángzidejiégòuhěnhélǐThis apartment has a very well-planned layout.

More words from the lesson “For and against”

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “reasonable” in Chinese?

“Reasonable” in Chinese is 合理, pinyin hélǐ.

What does 合理 mean?

合理 (hélǐ) means “reasonable”.

How do you write 合理?

合理 is 2 characters: 合 (hé) — join; fit; 理 (lǐ) — order; manage. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 合理?

合理 is read hélǐ. Tones: hé — second tone, lǐ — third tone. The page has a native speaker recording.

“reasonable” in the lesson “For and against”

This word is from the topic “Opinions and arguments” of HSK 5. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.

Start for free