HanziGuru.伟 · wěi
伟
wěi[wei3]Tone 3

great, grand, mighty

HSK 3
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偉
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English · great, grand, mighty

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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:6
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (亻) should occupy about one-third of the width, leaving the right component (韦) the remaining two-thirds with a strong vertical balance.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 偉 was simplified to 伟 by adopting the standard simplified person radical (亻) and the simplified phonetic 韦.
1. Meaning

great, grand, mighty

largeextraordinary
AdjectiveFormal / LiteraryBound morpheme#size#character#evaluation
Sample Usage
  • 伟大
    wěidà
    great, mighty, grand
  • 丰伟
    fēngwěi
    grand and plump, imposing
2. Sound
/[weɪ̯²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
伟
wěiwei3
++
ˇ(214)
=wěi
Initial Consonant
w
Type: Labio-Velar Glide (Zero Initial)
Sounds like: w sound like in 'water'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Round lips tightly before gliding into vowel.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips rounded initially, then relaxing into an open front vowel position.
Final Rhyme
ei
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: -ei rhymes with the 'ay' sound in 'day'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ay'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low and rises, comparable to saying 'Huh?' in disbelief.
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 3 syllable, wěi shifts to a rising Tone 2 (35) contour.
👂
Listening trap: Often confused with wèi (Tone 4) by learners who rush the dipping contour of Tone 3.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: start medium-high, dip sharply down to your lowest vocal register, and sweep upward.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 6 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (亻) should occupy about one-third of the width, leaving the right component (韦) the remaining two-thirds with a strong vertical balance.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 偉 was simplified to 伟 by adopting the standard simplified person radical (亻) and the simplified phonetic 韦.

4. Components

Radical 亻 · Person Radical (human, person)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 亻 (indicates human attributes, character, or stature)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 韦 (original sound: wěi)

A person (亻) possessing a grand, towering presence or great accomplishments (韦).

  • 亻 person
  • 韦 phonetic clue for wěi
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the person radical (亻) and 韦 (wěi, originally signifying folded leather or curved elements, later borrowed for sound and extended to mean great or imposing).

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from describing physical stature or grand structures to moral greatness and historical significance in modern Chinese.

  • Frequently used in modern compounds like 伟大 (great) and 雄伟 (grand and majestic).
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
vĩ
Mandarin Tone 3 corresponds roughly to a dipping/glottal inflection in literary borrowings.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: イ / Kun: おそ.い, えらい
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
위
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

A towering PERSON (亻) stands tall wearing a magnificent VEIL / WRAP (韦), looking utterly GREAT and heroic.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
韦
wéisoft leather / enclosureBase phonetic component without the person radical.
韩
hánKorea / fenceUses the car / vehicle radical on the left instead of person.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
违(wéi)
Has the walking/movement radical (辶) meaning to disobey or violate, whereas 伟 has the person radical (亻) meaning great.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
中国长城是一项[___]的建筑工程。
Clue: wěi dà
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the tone with Tone 4 (wèi) or mistaking the right component for similar looking radicals.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does the character 伟 mean, and what are its two main components?
Production: How do you write the character for 'great/grand' (wěi) using the person radical and the phonetic component?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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