HanziGuru.畏 · wèi
畏
wèi[wei4]Tone 4

to fear

HSK 7
Guru Deep Dive

English · to fear

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Top-bottom
Strokes:9
Writing Balance Rule: The top ghost/monster element (田 with horns) must sit compactly over the bottom foot/legs element (疋 variant), keeping the vertical center aligned.
1. Meaning

to fear, to dread, to respect with awe

to be afraid ofrespectful apprehension
VerbFormal / Literary#emotions#psychology#attitude
Sample Usage
  • 望而生畏
    wàng ér shēng wèi
    filled with awe and fear at the sight of sth
  • 畏缩
    wèisuō
    to cower, to shrink back
2. Sound
/[weɪ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51
畏
wèiwei4
++
`(51)
=wèi
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
wei
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "e" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
w
Type: Glide (w)
Sounds like: w sound like English 'w' in 'water'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Round lips tightly before gliding into vowel.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips rounded slightly then opening into a vowel, tongue flat.
Final Rhyme
ei
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: -ei rhymes with 'ay' in 'day'
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 an exclamation of sudden fright like 'Hey!'
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the Tone 4 falling pitch with Tone 2 rising pitch. Ensure it drops sharply rather than going up.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp downward chop with the hand, representing a stern warning or sudden fear.
3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 9 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top ghost/monster element (田 with horns) must sit compactly over the bottom foot/legs element (疋 variant), keeping the vertical center aligned.

4. Components

Radical 田 · Field Radical (field, land)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 疋 (represents legs or a body posture shrinking away in fright)

Imagine a ghost or scary creature with sharp horns and eyes looking down over a person whose legs (疋) are shaking in fear.

  • 甶 ghostly head or mask with eyes
  • 疋 legs retreating or cowering
5. History
Liushu category: Compound ideogram (会意)

Origin: Oracle bone forms show a person with big staring eyes and hair standing on end, or a towering masked figure frightening someone below.

Semantic Evolution: Originally depicting a terrifying apparition or posture of dread, it evolved to mean general fear, awe, and cautious respect.

  • Often used in classical texts to denote both terror and moral awe.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: イ (i) / Kun: おそ.れる (osoreru)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
외
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

A spooky ghost with big eyes (田) appears above a traveler whose legs (疋) turn to jelly and start shaking in pure FEAR (wèi).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
喂
wèihey / to feed+ 口 (mouth)
煨
wēito simmer; to roast in ashes+ 火 (fire)
猥
wěihumble; rustic+ 犭 (dog)
隈
wēibay; cove+ 阝 (city)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
思(sī)
思 has 心 (heart) at the bottom for thinking; 畏 has 疋 (legs) at the bottom for running away in fear.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
面对困难，我们不能退[___]。
Clue: wèi
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the bottom component 疋 with similar components like 木 or 水 when handwriting.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does 畏 mean and how is it pronounced?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to fear / to dread' (wèi)?
Real-World Video Context

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

Search theme
Accent preference

Results are live YouTube search — accents and levels aren't verified.

畏wèito fear
Speed:
Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...
0 / 0
Watch on YouTubeMore Results on YouTube