yuánzì Chinese characters of the chemical elements
里

里 lǐ

“unit of distance; village; lane; Kangxi radical 166”

On its own, an ordinary character; Cantonese lei5. Readings and gloss from the Unicode Unihan database.

Carries Lithium

钅 metal → solid metal
+
里 lǐ
=
锂 lǐ · Li 3

Transliterates syllable 1 of lit·hium: lithium → lǐ.

The element keeps the component’s reading exactly.