卫 (wèi) — (bound morpheme) to guard, to defend; (bound morpheme, surname) Wei
Definition
Bound morpheme wèi meaning 'to guard / defend', seen in set phrases like 保卫 (defend), 守卫 (guard a place), 捍卫 (defend fiercely). It also reads as the surname Wèi.
bound form
(bound morpheme) to guardto defend(bound morpheme, surname) Wei
Examples
- 。Wǒ men yào bǎo wèi guó jiā.We must defend the country.
- 。Wǒ men yào bǎo jiā wèi guó.We must defend our home and country.
- 。Wǒ men bì xū xué huì zì wèi.We must learn to defend ourselves.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 衛; 卫 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
韋
韋wéi衛wèi
Same sound today
The traditional form 衛 is built from 行 as the sense part and 韋 as the sound part; the simplified 卫 is a shorthand.
Appears in
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