蔚 (wèi): luxuriant

Meanings

1 luxuriant
2 lush
3 resplendent
4 impressive

Characters

蔚

wèi

luxuriant; resplendent; azure (in compounds)

Examples

天空蔚蓝，令人心旷神怡。

Tiānkōng wèilán, lìngrén xīnkuàng-shényí.

The sky was azure blue, making one feel refreshed and happy.

这片森林草木蔚然，生机勃勃。

Zhè piàn sēnlín cǎomù wèirán, shēngjī-bóbó.

The vegetation in this forest is lush and full of vitality.

Tips

usage

蔚 most commonly appears in the compound 蔚蓝 (azure blue) and in the literary phrase 蔚然成风 (to become a common practice/trend). As a standalone adjective it is classical in register.

memory

Think of 蔚 as describing something so thick and lush (like deep grass 艹) that it becomes visually striking - the way a brilliant blue sky stands out.

Components

radical

艹 cǎo

grass; plant (top radical)

Top grass radical - the compressed 3-stroke form of 艸. Indexes 蔚 in the botanical family. Originally named a specific weedy plant (mugwort); the modern senses "luxuriant, lush, resplendent" extend that image of vigorous growth into anything spreading abundantly, especially writing or scenery.

phonetic

尉 wèi

military officer; soothe

Bottom 尉 supplies the sound wèi directly, no drift. 尉 also doubles as a reading for the surname Yù - and indeed 蔚 has a second reading 蔚县 (a county in Hebei). Pure phonetic in its main usage; the military sense plays no part in the botanical meaning.