萎

wěi

委 + 艹

Definitions

wěi (verb) to wither; to decline

wěi (adjective) spiritless; listless

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 委 represents the sound.

Semantic: 艹 Phonetic: 委

About

萎 is a phono-semantic compound combining 艹 (grass) for meaning and 委 for sound. It originally described plants wilting from lack of water or nutrients, then broadened to refer to a decline in energy, spirit, or physical strength in humans and animals, including muscle atrophy and a general lack of vigor.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

花园里的花枯萎了。

Huāyuán lǐ de huā kūwěi le.

The flowers in the garden have withered.

经济开始萎缩。

Jīngjì kāishǐ wěisuō.

The economy is beginning to shrink.

他看起来精神萎靡。

Tā kàn qǐlái jīngshén wěimǐ.

He looks listless.

由于缺水，植物迅速萎蔫。

Yóuyú quē shuǐ, zhíwù xùnsù wěiniān.

Due to lack of water, the plants quickly wilt.

他的信心在挫折中萎谢了。

Tā de xìnxīn zài cuòzhé zhōng wěixiè le.

His confidence withered in the face of setbacks.

肌肉萎缩是一种常见病症。

Jīròu wěisuō shì yī zhǒng chángjiàn bìngzhèng.

Muscle atrophy is a common condition.

如果继续干旱，庄稼都会枯萎，农民将遭受损失。

Rúguǒ jìxù gānhàn, zhuāngjia dōu huì kūwěi, nóngmín jiāng zāoshòu sǔnshī.

If the drought continues, all crops will wither, and farmers will suffer losses.

在缺乏创新的情况下，市场活力难免逐渐萎顿。

Zài quēfá chuàngxīn de qíngkuàng xià, shìchǎng huólì nánmiǎn zhújiàn wěidùn.

In the absence of innovation, market vitality inevitably gradually declines.

Related Characters

Component: 委

Component: 艹

萎