领 lǐng — neck; collar; to lead; to receive
老师领着学生参观博物馆。Lǎo shī lǐng zhe xué sheng cān guān bó wù guǎn.The teacher led the students to visit the museum.
Common words: 领导 (lǐng dǎo)、领先 (lǐng xiān)、带领 (dài lǐng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to lead"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to lead", including 领 (lǐng), 导 (dǎo), 引 (yǐn), 率 (lǜ / shuài / lǜ). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to lead" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 领 (lǐng), 导 (dǎo), 引 (yǐn), 率 (lǜ / shuài / lǜ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span lǐng, dǎo, yǐn, lǜ, shuài — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 领 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 领 lǐngneck; collar; to lead; to receiveUseful words: 领导, 领先
- 导 dǎoto transmit; to lead; to guide; to conduct; to directUseful words: 领导, 导演
- 引 yǐnto lead; to divert (water); to guideUseful words: 引起, 吸引
- 率 lǜ / shuài / lǜrate; frequency; to lead; commandUseful words: 效率, 率先
Common words for these 4 "to lead" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 领 (lǐng) — so "to lead" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
领导lǐng dǎolead; leading; to lead; leadership领先lǐng xiānto lead; to be in front带领dài lǐngto guide; to lead领导lǐng dǎolead; leading; to lead; leadership导演dǎo yǎnto direct; director (film etc)指导zhǐ dǎoto guide; to direct; to instruct; coach引起yǐn qǐto give rise to; to lead to; to cause; to arouse吸引xī yǐnto attract; to appeal to; to fascinate引导yǐn dǎoto guide; to lead (around); to conduct; to boot效率xiào lǜefficiency
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "to lead".
导 dǎo — to transmit; to lead; to guide; to conduct; to direct
这位导游很热情。Zhè wèi dǎo yóu hěn rè qíng.This tour guide is very warm.
Common words: 领导 (lǐng dǎo)、导演 (dǎo yǎn)、指导 (zhǐ dǎo)
引 yǐn — to lead; to divert (water); to guide
这本书深深地吸引了我。Zhè běn shū shēn shēn de xī yǐn le wǒ.This book attracted me deeply.
Common words: 引起 (yǐn qǐ)、吸引 (xī yǐn)、引导 (yǐn dǎo)
率 lǜ / shuài / lǜ — rate; frequency; to lead; command
这次考试的及格率很高。Zhè cì kǎo shì de jí gé lǜ hěn gāo.The pass rate of this exam is very high.
Common words: 效率 (xiào lǜ)、率先 (shuài xiān)、汇率 (huì lǜ)
All 4 characters
Open 领、导、引 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.