魏 (Wèi): surname Wei

Meanings

1 surname Wei
2 Wei (vassal state of the Zhou dynasty)
3 Wei (one of the Three Kingdoms, founded by Cao Cao)

Characters

魏

Wèi

surname Wei; historical state name

Examples

HSK 2

魏先生是我们的新同事。

Wèi xiānsheng shì wǒmen de xīn tóngshì.

Mr. Wei is our new colleague.

HSK 6

三国时期的魏国是最强大的。

Sānguó shíqī de Wèiguó shì zuì qiángdà de.

The state of Wei was the most powerful during the Three Kingdoms period.

Tips

history

The Wei kingdom (220-265 AD) was one of the Three Kingdoms, founded by Cao Cao and formally established by his son Cao Pi. It controlled northern China and was the strongest of the three states (魏蜀吴).

Components

radical

鬼 guǐ

ghost; spirit

Right ghost radical - the indexing radical, picturing a mask-faced figure with a tail. The choice is historical: the ancient state of Wei was named after a fortified site whose tie to 'ghost' is now murky. Today the link is conventional; 魏 serves as a surname and historical place-name (Three Kingdoms state, Northern Wei dynasty).

phonetic

委 wěi

entrust; bend

Left 委 (禾 grain + 女 woman) supplies the sound: wěi to wèi with tone shift. Originally 委 depicted grain bending under its weight, conveying compliance. Same phonetic family: 萎 wither, 倭 dwarf, 矮 short. Pure phonetic role here; the surname/state meaning of 魏 comes from the ghost radical.