维 (wéi) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

维

wéi[wei2]Tone 2

to maintain, preserve, dimension

HSK 4

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Guru Deep Dive

English · to maintain, preserve, dimension

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:11

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (the silk thread radical 纟) takes up about one-third of the width, leaving the right side (隹) spacious and balanced with horizontal strokes.

Simplification Logic: The traditional radical 糸 is simplified into 纟 (three strokes), while the right component 隹 remains identical.

1. Meaning

to maintain, preserve, hold together

dimensionvitamin (abbreviation)surname Weiabbreviation for Uighur

Verb / NounNeutral#action#geometry#science#society

Sample Usage

我们要维护世界和平。
wǒ men yào wéi hù shì jiè hé píng.
We want to safeguard world peace.
这是一个三维空间。
zhè shì yī gè sān wéi kōng jiān.
This is a three-dimensional space.

2. Sound

/[weɪ̯³⁵]/Tone: 35

维

wéiwei2

´(35)

=wéi

Initial Consonant

Type: Labio-Velar Glide (Zero Initial)

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 loosely, back of the tongue raised toward the soft palate.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: -ei rhymes with 'ay' in 'say'

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

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

Tone

T2 (35)

3 → 5 (35)

2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts mid and rises sharply to a high pitch, exactly like asking 'What?' in English disbelief.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the rising Tone 2 (35) with Tone 4 (51) when spoken quickly in compound words.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A rising hand gesture starting from your chest and moving diagonally upward into the air, mimicking an elevator going up.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 11 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (the silk thread radical 纟) takes up about one-third of the width, leaving the right side (隹) spacious and balanced with horizontal strokes.

Simplification Logic: The traditional radical 糸 is simplified into 纟 (three strokes), while the right component 隹 remains identical.

4. Components

Radical 纟 · Silk Thread Radical (silk, threads, connection)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 纟 (Indicates threads, binding, or holding things together.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 隹 (original sound: zhuī)

Imagine using a silk thread (纟) to tie down a short-tailed bird (隹) so it doesn't fly away, thereby *maintaining* or *preserving* it.

纟 silk thread / binding
隹 short-tailed bird / phonetic clue

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

27· Phonetic Root: 隹 (zhuī)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined the silk radical (糸, representing rope or connection) with 隹 (bird). In ancient times, thick ropes were used to tie down and secure heavy objects or boats, which led to the abstract meaning of upholding and maintaining.

Semantic Evolution: From physical tying and binding of ropes to metaphorical maintenance of order, social stability, and eventually mathematical dimensions.

In modern science, it is widely used as a direct translation for 'dimension' (维) and 'vitamin' (维生素).

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

duy

Mandarin rising tone 2 corresponds roughly to the Vietnamese hỏi or sắc depending on historical register, but here yields 'duy' with a rising feel.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ユイ / Kun: tamo.tsu

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

유

Sound Shift Bridge: The historical initial 'w' corresponds to similar liquid/glide transitions across East Asian borrowings (e.g. Japanese 'yui').

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You use silk threads (纟) to tie up a wild bird (隹) to *maintain* control over it and *preserve* its feathers.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

推

tuīto pushUses hand radical (扌) instead of silk (纟).

准

zhǔnaccurate / standardUses ice radical (冫) on the left.

难

nándifficultUses bird/complex components on the right with a different left side.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

淮(huái)

淮 has the water radical (氵) used for geographic names like the Huai River, whereas 维 has the silk radical (纟).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我们必须好好[___]这台机器。

Clue: wéi hù

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the left-side silk radical 纟 with the similar thread or water radicals, or misapplying Tone 2 rising pitch as Tone 4.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 维, what core action and geometric meaning come to mind?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to maintain / dimension' (wéi) combining silk and bird components?

维wéito maintain, preserve, dimension

Speed:

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