wéi
verb HSK 3 #3,487

Meanings

  1. 1 to surround
  2. 2 to encircle
  3. 3 all around

Characters

The enclosure radical literally surrounds the inside component, visually representing the meaning.

Examples

Háizimen wéi zhe lǎoshī.
The children gathered around the teacher.
Jǐngchá wéi zhù le dàlóu.
The police surrounded the building.
Wéi zhe zhuōzi zuò.
Sit around the table.

Tips

usage
often uses the pattern (wéi zhe) + object, meaning 'around' something. Also appears in compound words: 围巾 (wéijīn, scarf), 周围 (zhōuwéi, surroundings).
culture
围棋 (wéiqí) — the ancient board game Go — literally means 'encircling chess,' reflecting the game's strategy of surrounding territory.

Stroke Order

wéi