HanziGuru.慰 · wèi
慰
wèi[wei4]Tone 4

to comfort

HSK 5
Guru Deep Dive

English · to comfort

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Topology:Top-bottom
Strokes:15
Writing Balance Rule: The top component (尉) must be balanced evenly over the bottom heart radical (心). Ensure the upper section does not crush the heart below.
1. Meaning

to comfort, to console, to reassure

to soothe distressto bring mental relief
VerbFormal / LiteraryBound morpheme#emotions#psychology#interpersonal relations
Sample Usage
  • 听到这个消息，大家的心情终于得到了一些安慰。
    tīng dào zhège xiāoxī, dàjiā de xīnqíng zhōngyú dédào le yīxiē ānwèi.
    Upon hearing the news, everyone's mood finally received some comfort.
  • 请接受我最深切的慰问。
    qǐng jiēshòu wǒ zuì shēnqiè de wèiwèn.
    Please accept my deepest condolences / words of comfort.
2. Sound
/[weɪ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51
慰
wèiwei4
++
`(51)
=wèi
Initial Consonant
w
Type: Labio-Velar Glide (Zero Initial)
Sounds like: w like English w in 'win'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Round lips tightly before gliding into vowel.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips rounded, back of tongue raised toward soft palate for the semi-vowel glide.
Final Rhyme
ei
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: ei rhymes with 'way' in English
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ay'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T4 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops abruptly, matching an authoritative command or a decisive 'No!' in English.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse Tone 4 [wèi] with Tone 3 [wěi]; make sure the pitch drops sharply from high to low rather than dipping.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 4 is a sharp downward slash, like nodding firmly in agreement or stamping your foot once in confirmation.
3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 15 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top component (尉) must be balanced evenly over the bottom heart radical (心). Ensure the upper section does not crush the heart below.

4. Components

Radical 心 · Heart Radical (Heart, emotions, mind)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 心 (Indicates that comforting someone is an act of touching or soothing the heart/emotions.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 尉 (original sound: wèi)

The upper part is 尉 (wèi, representing an officer or a calming presence), and the bottom part is 心 (heart). Together, an authoritative yet soothing presence brings peace to the heart: to comfort.

  • 尉 Phonetic clue and provides the base meaning of suppression/calming
  • 心 Semantic heart radical representing feelings and emotions
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the phonetic element 尉 (wèi) and the semantic heart radical 心 (xīn). 尉 originally carried the sense of pressing down or holding steady, which combined with the heart to denote calming or soothing turbulent emotions.

Semantic Evolution: From the physical action of settling or pressing down steadily, it evolved to mean easing someone's grief, settling their mind, and offering reassurance.

  • The component 尉 also appears in military ranks such as 少尉 (shàowèi, subaltern/lieutenant), preserving the archaic sense of control and steady governance.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
uý
Mandarin Tone 4 (sharp falling) corresponds to Vietnamese sắc or nặng tone depending on historical classification, maintaining a resolute downward drop.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: イ (i)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
위
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

An military officer (尉) stands by your side to steady your trembling heart (心) during a crisis, offering gentle words to comfort and reassure you.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
慰
wèito comfortHas the heart (心) at the bottom because it comforts emotions.
蔚
wèilush, luxuriantUses the grass radical (艹) at the top, referring to lush vegetation.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
蔚(wèi)
蔚 features the grass radical (艹) for lush plants, whereas 慰 features the heart radical (心) for emotional comfort.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
听到这个好消息，大家心里感到十分[___]。
Clue: ān wèi
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the top component 尉 with unrelated complex radicals, or writing it with too many strokes by misplacing the horizontal elements.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 慰 combined with 心, what emotion-regulating verb does it form?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to comfort' (wèi) using the phonetic 尉 and the heart radical?
Real-World Video Context

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