位列 (wèi liè) — to rank (in a certain position)

Definition

Formal/written verb meaning 'to rank' or 'to be positioned (at a rank)'. It emphasizes holding a place in a ranking or ordered list, not the act of arranging (排列).

verb
to rank (in a certain position)

Examples

  • 位列。
    Zhè zhī duì wu qù nián wèi liè dì yī.
    This team ranked first last year.
  • 位列。
    Tā de chéng jì wèi liè quán bān qián sān míng.
    His grades rank in the top three of the class.
  • 位列。
    Gāi gōng sī zài háng yè pái háng bǎng zhōng wèi liè dì wǔ wèi.
    The company ranks fifth in the industry rankings.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

位wèiposition
列lièrank

位 and 列 both refer to position and rank, so together they mean to rank.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
立
立lì位wèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

位 combines 人 (man), related to people, with 立, which gives the sound. It was often simply written as 立.

Open 位 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

列 combines 歹, drawn as skeletal remains, and 刀, a knife, to depict tearing apart.

Open 列 →

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