Definitions

wěi (reddish jade); precious; rare

Etymology phono-semantic

jade

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

玮 (simplified) and its traditional form 瑋 are phono-semantic compounds. The jade radical 王 on the left provides the semantic category of precious stones, while the phonetic component 韦/韋 on the right suggests the pronunciation. The character originally denoted a specific type of rare and exquisite jade, valued for its beauty in ancient Chinese culture. From this sense of a precious gem, its meaning broadened to describe anything exceptionally valuable, magnificent, or outstanding. Today, due to these positive connotations, 玮 is most commonly used as an auspicious element in personal names rather than as a general noun in daily language.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern