巍 (wēi): lofty; towering; majestic

Meanings

巍峨的雪山静静地矗立在蓝天下。

Wēi'é de xuěshān jìngjìng de chùlì zài lántiān xià.

The towering snow-capped peaks stand quietly under the blue sky.

人民英雄纪念碑巍然屹立。

Rénmín yīngxióng jìniànbēi wēirán yìlì.

The Monument to the People's Heroes stands tall and majestic.

usage

巍 describes something tall and imposing, usually mountains or grand monuments. Common pairings are 巍峨 (towering) and 巍然 (majestically).

radical

山 shān

mountain

Top 山 is the mountain radical, sitting high above to picture exactly what 巍 describes: a towering height.

phonetic

魏 wèi

the Wei state (here phonetic)

Below sits 魏, supplying the sound with only a tone change from wèi to wēi. It is the phonetic element here.

巍 wēi