围

圍
wéi
verb HSK 5 #3,487

Meanings

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

Characters

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

Examples

HSK 2
Háizi men wéi zhe lǎoshī.
The children gathered around the teacher.
HSK 2
Wéi zhe zhuōzi zuò.
Sit around the table.
HSK 4
Jǐngchá wéi zhù le dàlóu.
The police surrounded the building.

Tips

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

Components

radical
囗 wéi
enclosure; border
Outer 囗 is the big enclosure radical (wéi, not the small mouth 口) - four walls around an inner space. Indexing radical of 围, supplying the meaning directly: to surround, encircle. Family: 国, 园, 圆, 困 - all chars where 囗 wraps something inside.
phonetic
韦 wéi
leather strap; tanned hide
Inner 韦 supplies the sound (wéi → wéi, identical) - an unusually clean phonetic match. 韦 itself originally pictured feet circling a position (a sentry going around); that 'going around' image faintly reinforces the surrounding meaning of 围. Same phonetic appears in 伟 (wěi, great) and 违 (wéi, violate).

Stroke Order

围 wéi