礼仪
lǐ yí · HSK 7
etiquette
🎎🙇 礼 ritual/courtesy + 仪 ceremony = etiquette, the rites of polite conduct
礼 (lǐ) is courtesy or ritual; 仪 (yí) is a ceremony or proper form. Together they name the codified rules of polite behaviour. The yí sound also opens 仪式 (yíshì), a formal ceremony.
礼 — 示 (altar/ritual) + 乚 (simplified from 豊)
Originally 禮, showing 示 (altar) beside 豊 (a ritual vessel of grain), depicting offerings made at a shrine. The character meant religious ceremony, then broadened to social rites, courtesy, and gifts. The simplified form 礼 keeps 示 and replaces 豊 with the abbreviated 乚.