Definitions

wéi a river in Shanxi province

Etymology phono-semantic

water

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

(wéi) is the simplified form of , a phono-semantic compound used almost exclusively as the proper name of the Wei River in Hunan province. It combines the water radical (shuǐ) , signifying water, rivers, and aquatic features , with the phonetic (wéi), which indicates its pronunciation. The traditional character uses the variant phonetic . Historically, this character has appeared only as a toponym in geographical texts, local gazetteers, and regional histories, accumulating no broader meanings beyond identifying this particular Chinese river.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern