挥

揮
huī
verb HSK 5 #4,025

Meanings

  1. 1 to wave
  2. 2 to brandish
  3. 3 to command

Examples

HSK 5
Tā huī shǒu gàobié.
He waved goodbye.
HSK 6
Búyào huīhuò jīnqián.
Don't squander money.

Tips

usage
Common in 发挥 (to bring into play) and 指挥 (to command).

Components

radical
扌 shǒu
hand (radical form of 手)
Left indexing hand radical 扌 - left-side variant of 手. Anchors 挥 in the hand-action family alongside 打 (hit), 拉 (pull), 推 (push), 抓 (grasp). Waving, brandishing, and commanding are all motions performed with the hand.
phonetic
军 jūn
army (here phonetic)
Right 军 supplies the sound (jūn -> huī through j/h alternation in Old Chinese, attested in 军/挥/晖/辉 phonetic family). 军 itself depicts a chariot 车 under a covering - an encampment. Lends a faint command-flavor: an officer waves troops into formation. Same phonetic: 辉 (radiance), 晖 (sunshine), 浑 (murky).

Stroke Order

挥 huī