围坐 (wéi zuò) — to sit around (someone or something in a circle)

Definition

围坐 is a verb meaning to sit in a circle around someone or something (a person, a fire, a table). The motion of gathering is more important than the act of sitting itself, so use it for the whole group action, not for one person taking a seat.

verb
to sit around (someone or something in a circle)

Examples

  • 围坐。
    Dà jiā wéi zuò zài yì qǐ liáo tiān.
    Everyone sat around together chatting.
  • 围坐。
    Hái zi men wéi zuò zài lǎo shī shēn biān tīng gù shi.
    The children sat around the teacher listening to stories.
  • 围坐。
    Wǒ men wéi zuò zài huǒ lú páng qǔ nuǎn.
    We sat around the fire to warm ourselves.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

围wéiaround
坐zuòsit

'围' is around, and '坐' is sit, so it means sitting around someone or something.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 圍; 围 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
囗囗wéienclosure
Sound part声符shēngfú
韋
韋wéi圍wéi
Same sound today

The traditional form 圍 pairs 囗 (enclosure) with 韋, which gives the sound; 围 is the simplified form of 圍.

Open 围 →

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

The form 坐 combines 留, 'to stay', and 土, 'ground'.

Open 坐 →

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