li

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ལི
li =.333mm, pear, bronze, bell metal, apple, SA sli, fire element, 1 of spar kha brgyad [JV]

1) bell metal [alloy], bronze; 2) 1st of the spar kha brgyad; 3) CH li fruit; 4) precious substance/ jewel med.; 5) Khotan; 6) Turkestan; 7) pear [IW]

bronze [RY]

bell-metal, Khotan, khoten, Turkistan; pear [RY]

(sman) Bell-metal
Technical brass (Yeshi 2018).
Sanskrit : ārakūṭa, paittala (wisdomlib.org)

li yis mig gi skam tshag rngo 'bras 'dul / zhes pa'i li la rgya li bod li gnyis / de re re la'ang dkar dmar gnyis re yod la / rgya gar gi li rdo rang bzhus pa nas li 'byung ba li yul gyi ri las 'byung ba byin rlabs shin tu che ba yin la / pun+Da r+'i ka'i zhal snga las / li dkar dkar dangs cung zad ser ba yin / li dmar dmar mdangs cung zad ser ba yin / 'di gnyis li yul ri la thub dbang bzhis / byin gyis brlabs pa las 'ong mchog tu bsngags / zhes pa'i li 'di g.ya' mig la byugs na skam tshag la mchog tu phan la / bod li ni stod kyi gsha' dkar dngul 'dra ba la zangs drug skor bsres pa dang brgyad skor bsres pa la bal po sogs kyis mchod cha byas pa'i li 'di 'dra ba dkar dmar 'byung ba'i me long gi g.yas kyang mig la phan zhing / li de'i bsreg tshug gis rngo 'bras 'dul ba yin // (Shel gong shel phreng, pdf p 110.3)

The Shel gong shel phreng distinguishes Indian and Tibetan bell metal, each having a white type ('yellowish white', possibly lowered copper content) and a red type ('yellowish red', possibly with a hightened copper content). The Indian one is said to come from an ore which originates from li yul. Nowadays the ore's identity is not clear. The modern name Bell-metal ore refers to the mineral stannite (Cu₂FeSnS₄, where zinc (Zn) often replaces iron (Fe), thus coming close to manufactured bell-metal)
According to dGa' ba'i rdo rje (1995), li is a copper-zinc-tin alloy used mainly for bells, cymbals and gongs. It often contains trace amounts of other metals. He gives for Indian bell-metal roughly 88% copper, 11% zinc and 1% tin, and describes further a white, yellow and red bell-metal.
Bronze, 'khar ba (alloy of copper, zangs, and tin, gsha' dkar), and brass, rag/ra gan (alloy of copper, zangs, and zinc, ti tsha), as well as 'khro (brass ore) and li (bell-metal) have similar uses, and as the ambiguous name bell-metal applies to bronze as well as brass, the name li has a similar ambiguity, although it is closer to brass with respect to it's composition as given by dGa' ba'i rdo rje.
The indian terms kāṃsya, ārakūṭa and paittala refer all to bell-metal, but more specifically, kāṃsya to bronze, whereas the latter two refer rather to brass. (wisdomlib.org)
Johannes Schmidt (talk) 08:51, 28 February 2024 (EST)