HanziGuru.违 · wéi
违
wéi[wei2]Tone 2

to disobey, violate, or go against

HSK 5
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違
Guru Deep Dive

English · to disobey, violate, or go against

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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:7
Writing Balance Rule: The left component (the movement radical ⻌) wraps smoothly underneath and to the left of the right component (韦), maintaining a balanced and flowing silhouette.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 違 uses 韋 with more complex internal strokes, while the simplified form 违 streamlines the right side component for easier handwriting.
1. Meaning

to disobey or violate rules, laws, or agreements

to separate or part from someoneto go against or run counter to expectationsdistant or remote
VerbFormalBound morpheme#law#ethics#action#opposition
Sample Usage
  • 违反交通规则会被罚款。
    wéifǎn jiāotōng guīzé huì bèi fákuǎn.
    Violating traffic rules will result in a fine.
  • 违背诺言是不诚实的。
    wéibèi nuòyán shì bù chéngshí de.
    Going back on a promise is dishonest.
2. Sound
/[weɪ̯³⁵]/Tone: 35
违
wéiwei2
++
´(35)
=wéi
Initial Consonant
w
Type: Labio-Velar Glide (Zero Initial)
Sounds like: w sound as in water
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Round lips tightly before gliding into vowel.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips rounded loosely, tongue relaxed at the bottom of the mouth.
Final Rhyme
ei
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: -ei rhymes with day or pay
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ay'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises just like asking a question in English, such as 'Really?' or 'Way?'.
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 2 syllable, wéi shifts to a higher rising pitch profile before dropping or flattening depending on phrase rhythm.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the rising Tone 2 (wéi - way?) with the falling Tone 4 (wèi - wait!). Make sure the pitch goes up, not down.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Make a rising hand gesture upward and to the right, matching the inquiring intonation of asking 'Way?' in English.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 7 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (the movement radical ⻌) wraps smoothly underneath and to the left of the right component (韦), maintaining a balanced and flowing silhouette.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 違 uses 韋 with more complex internal strokes, while the simplified form 违 streamlines the right side component for easier handwriting.

4. Components

Radical ⻌ · Movement Radical (Walking, motion, or traveling)

Semantic Clue (形旁): ⻌ (Indicates motion, taking a different path, or turning away from a standard route.)

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

Imagine walking (⻌) in a leather tanning factory (韦), but you turn around and walk away to go against the rules.

  • ⻌ Walking or movement
  • 韦 Phonetic clue providing the sound wéi
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the movement radical (⻌) representing traveling or parting ways, and (韦) providing the phonetic sound. Originally meant to bypass, separate, or go in a different direction.

Semantic Evolution: From physical separation and taking a divergent path, it evolved to mean going against rules, laws, or expectations (violating or disobeying).

  • The movement radical ⻌ evolved from ancient depictions of footprints and roads.
  • The phonetic element 韦 originally depicted two people facing away from each other, reinforcing the idea of opposition.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
vi
Matches the Mandarin Tone 2 rising pitch pattern in historical Sino-Xenic vocabulary strata.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: イ (i) / Kun: たが.う (tagau)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
위
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

You are walking down the road (⻌) wearing a leather vest (韦), but you suddenly decide to turn around and disobey all the traffic laws by driving the wrong way!

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
韦
wéileather / soft leatherBase phonetic component without the walking radical.
韩
hánKorea / fenceUses the car/vehicle component on the left instead of the walking radical.
韧
rèntough / pliableUses the knife radical on the left, referring to tough leather.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
伟(wěi)
伟 uses the person radical (亻) meaning 'great/grand', whereas 违 uses the walking radical (⻌) meaning 'to disobey'.
韦(wéi)
韦 is just the right-hand phonetic part standing alone, meaning soft leather or acting as a surname.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
在高速公路上超速行驶是[___]交通规则的行为。
Clue: wéi fǎn
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 违 (wéi) with 伟 (wěi) due to the similar phonetic component 韦 on the right side.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 违, what does it mean and how do you pronounce it?
Production: How do you write the character meaning 'to disobey or violate' with 7 strokes using the movement radical?
Real-World Video Context

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

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