Revile

詈 means reviling, scolding, or abusing someone with words.

In Mandarin, it is read lì, with a falling tone, and works as a formal verb. In writing, it appears in 詈語, a label for insulting language, and 罵詈, a formal pairing for reviling or abuse.

Dictionary quotations attribute uses of 詈 to the Shangshu and Chuci, two classical Chinese works, placing it in older written vocabulary. These quotations attest the word in classical writing but do not establish a secure date for the first physical inscription of this exact form; that date remains unsettled as of 2026.

Why does 詈 look like a net over speech?

A traditional explanation reads its shape as a curse against speech.

It interprets a net over a sworn statement as a way to cancel the statement, like a curse. This is an old explanation of the form, not a step-by-step way to guess the character’s established meaning.

Should I send 詈 by itself?

Treat a bare 詈 as a formal reference to verbal abuse.

On its own, 詈 sounds bookish and describes hostile speech rather than serving as a ready-made playful insult. Read the surrounding Chinese or Japanese sentence to tell whether it is a verb, a quoted word, or a label for abusive language.