Definitions

wéi a river in Shanxi province

Etymology phono-semantic

water

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "沩", whose traditional form is "溈", is structurally composed of the water radical (氵/水) combined with the component "为", which primarily serves a phonetic function. Its etymology originates as a specific proper noun, the name of the Weishui River in present-day Hunan Province. Over time, the character's application expanded from solely denoting this river to also referring to the surrounding geographical area, notably the Weishan mountain region. The modern simplified form "沩" maintains the water radical but replaces the traditional phonetic component "為" with its simplified counterpart "为", while its core meaning remains tied to these toponymic references.

Etymology Hide

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