麾 (huī): banner; command flag (used by a…

Meanings

1 banner; command flag (used by a commanding general)
2 to signal with a banner; to direct (troops)
3 (literary, in 麾下) under the command of

Characters

麾

huī

command banner (literary)

Examples

麾下将士无不尽忠效力。

Huīxià jiàngshì wúbù jìnzhōng xiàolì.

Soldiers under his command served with utter loyalty.

他曾在曹操麾下担任重要谋士。

Tā céng zài Cáo Cāo huīxià dānrèn zhòngyào móushì.

He served as a senior strategist under Cao Cao.

将军挥麾一指，三军齐进。

Jiāngjūn huī huī yī zhǐ, sānjūn qí jìn.

The general signalled with his banner, and the troops surged forward.

Tips

usage

huī survives in modern Chinese chiefly through one compound: 麾下 (literally 'under the banner') = 'under one's command', 'serving in one's army', 'belonging to one's faction'. Used both in historical writing about generals (韩信麾下 'under Han Xin's command') and in modern figurative business writing (百度麾下 'in Baidu's stable of subsidiaries'). The verb sense 'to signal / direct troops with a banner' is purely classical and meets the eye only in historical texts.

memory

Outer 麻 (hemp — supplying the sound) wrapping inner 毛 (fur, hair) = an oxtail or yak-tail standard fastened to a hemp pole. The character literally pictures the banner: a fluffy hairy tassel on top of a fibrous pole. Wherever the general waves this banner, the army goes — hence 麾下 'under the banner' = 'under command'.

Components

radical

麻 má

hemp; supplying the sound

Outer hemp radical (Kangxi #200). Hemp was the standard material for ropes, banners, and standards in antiquity. Supplies both the indexing radical and the sound (má → huī is irregular, but má is the historical phonetic). Same radical family: 靡 (strewn flat), 魔 (demon).

semantic

毛 máo

hair; fur; feathers

Inner 毛 — fur or feathers. Pictures the tassel of yak-tail or oxtail hair that crowned the general's command banner. Combines with the outer hemp pole to give the full picture of the standard.