厲

• Literal: A whetstone; the act of grinding or sharpening a blade.
• Qualitative: Severe, harsh, stern, or rigorous. This applies to physical sensations (e.g., piercing or biting wind) as well as human temperament or administration.
• Specialized: Pestilential or malignant. Frequently encountered in reference to epidemics or restless spirits (e.g., 厲鬼).

• Noun: The tool (whetstone).
• Verb: To sharpen; to make severe.
• Adjective: Harsh, stern, piercing.

Contrast with 嚴 (//yán//): while both can be translated as "strict," //yán// typically denotes solemnity, discipline, or a formal boundary, whereas //lì// carries a colder, more abrasive connotation.

Variants include the simplified form 厉 (U+5389) and the semantic variant 𦩦 (U+5386).

When the glyph appears in contexts of ritual, burial, or sudden illness, prioritize the "malignant" or "pestilential" sense over general severity.