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围城 (wéi chéng) — (verb-object) to besiege a city

Definition

A verb-object phrase (separable verb) meaning 'to besiege a city' — an army surrounds and cuts off a city to force its surrender. It can split as 围了城 / 围过城, and also names the besieged city itself.

verb
(verb-object) to besiege a city

Examples

  • 围城，。
    Dí jūn wéi chéng sān gè yuè, chéng zhōng bǎi xìng kǔ bù kān yán.
    The enemy besieged the city for three months, and the people inside suffered unspeakably.
  • ，。
    Tā men wéi le chéng sān tiān, zhōng yú gōng pò le chéng mén.
    They besieged the city for three days and finally broke through the city gate.
  • 围城，。
    wéi chéng Róng yì shǒu chéng nán, zhè shì bīng fǎ cháng shí.
    Besieging a city is easy, defending it is hard — this is common military knowledge.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

围wéiencircle
城chéngcity

“围” encircles and “城” city together mean to besiege a city.

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 →

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
土土tǔsoil
Sound part声符shēngfú
成
成chéng城chéng
Same sound today

城 pairs 土 (soil) with 成 as a sound part, because city walls were originally made of stamped earth.

Open 城 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

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