纬 (wěi) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

纬

wěi[wei3]Tone 3

latitude

HSK 7

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緯

Guru Deep Dive

English · latitude

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:7

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (纟) should be compressed to take up about one-third of the width, leaving the right component (韦) spacious and balanced.

Simplification Logic: The traditional radical 糹 (silk) is simplified into 纟, and the complex phonetic component 韋 is simplified into 韦.

1. Meaning

latitude (geographic coordinates)

woof or weft (horizontal threads in weaving)longitude and latitude (figuratively meaning scope, dimensions, or network)

NounFormal#geography#textiles#measurements

Sample Usage

这颗恒星的纬度是多少？
zhè kē héng xīng de wěi dù shì duō shǎo?
What is the latitude of this star?
经纬度决定了地球上的绝对位置。
jīng wěi dù jué dìng le dì qiú shàng de jué duì wèi zhì.
Longitude and latitude determine the absolute position on Earth.

2. Sound

/[weɪ̯²¹⁴]/Tone: 214

纬

wěiwei3

ˇ(214)

=wěi

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

Type: Glide (w)

Sounds like: w sound as in English 'water'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Round lips tightly before gliding into vowel.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips rounded, back of tongue raised toward soft palate.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: -ei rhymes with 'hey' or 'way'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ay'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T3 (214)

2 → 1 → 4 (214)

3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 starts medium-high, dips low in the throat, and rises back up, similar to saying 'What?' in sheer disbelief.

Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone character, it changes to a 2nd tone (rising 35).

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the 3rd tone dip with 4th tone drop; ensure you complete the upward rise at the end.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Start at a mid-high pitch, dip down to your lowest vocal register in the chest, and sweep back up high (like a checkmark or a swoop).

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 7 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (纟) should be compressed to take up about one-third of the width, leaving the right component (韦) spacious and balanced.

Simplification Logic: The traditional radical 糹 (silk) is simplified into 纟, and the complex phonetic component 韋 is simplified into 韦.

4. Components

Radical 纟 · Silk Radical (silk, threads, textiles)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 纟 (Indicates silk threads, originally referring to the horizontal threads (weft) in weaving.)

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

Silk threads (纟) interwoven horizontally like leather strips or bound together (韦) form the crosswise threads of a loom, which inspired the geometric grid lines of latitude.

纟 silk thread / textile connection
韦 phonetic clue providing the sound wěi

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

13· Phonetic Root: 韦 (wéi)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined silk threads (纟) with a phonetic sound component (韦) to denote the crosswise threads of fabric (weft), contrasting with the lengthwise threads (经).

Semantic Evolution: Because weaving involves intersecting vertical and horizontal threads, the term expanded metaphorically to the horizontal geographic grid lines of latitude, parallel to the equator.

In ancient Chinese astronomy and geography, the cosmos and earth were often conceptualized as woven fabric, hence '經' (longitude/warp) and '緯' (latitude/weft).

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: イ (i)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

위

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a world map woven out of shiny silk threads (纟). The horizontal lines of latitude are spun carefully across the globe like a giant loom weaving the fabric (韦) of the planet.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

韦

wéisurname Wei; soft leatherPhonetic Core (声旁)

伟

wěigreat, grand, mighty+ 亻 (person)

围

wéito encircle, surround+ 囗 (enclosure)

违

wéito disobey, violate, or go against+ 辶 (walking)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

经(jīng)

经 refers to longitude (vertical warp threads), whereas 纬 refers to latitude (horizontal weft threads).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

赤道是地球上最长的[___]圈。

Clue: wěi

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 纬 (latitude/horizontal weft) with 经 (longitude/vertical warp). Remember that 经 has the silk radical too, but pairs with time and vertical direction.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 纬 mean when combined with 经 in geography?

Production: How do you write the character for 'latitude' (wěi) using the silk radical?

纬wěilatitude

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