wěi
adjective

Meanings

  1. 1 lewd; obscene
  2. 2 humble; lowly (literary)
  3. 3 many; numerous (literary)

Examples

Tā bèi zhǐkòng yǒu wěixiè xíngwéi.
He was accused of indecent behavior.
Wěisuǒ de xiàoróng ràng rén gǎndào bù shūfu.
His sleazy smile made people uncomfortable.
Gǔwén zhōng de wěi zì cháng zuò qiāncí, yì wèi bùcái.
In classical writing, 猥 is often a humble self-reference meaning 'unworthy.'

Tips

usage
Modern Chinese sees mostly inside compounds: 猥亵 (wěixiè, 'indecent / molestation'), 猥琐 (wěisuǒ, 'sleazy / shabby in manner'). The classical 'humble' and 'numerous' senses are essentially literary archaisms now.

Stroke Order

wěi