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围墙 (wéi qiáng) — perimeter wall, enclosure wall

Definition

围墙 is a wall that encloses an area (a compound, park, campus). It contrasts with 墙壁 (the bare word for a wall, e.g., one side of a room) and 城墙 (a defensive city wall).

noun
perimeter wallenclosure wall
Measure word · 道

Examples

  • 围墙。
    Zhè dào wéi qiáng bǎ xiǎo qū hé mǎ lù gé kāi le.
    This wall separates the residential area from the road.
  • 围墙。
    Tā men zhèng zài xiū jiàn yí dào xīn de wéi qiáng.
    They are building a new perimeter wall.
  • 围墙。
    wéi qiáng Shàng pá mǎn le téng wàn.
    The wall is covered with climbing vines.

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wéisurround
墙qiángwall

围 suggests enclosing, and 墙 is wall, so the word means an enclosing wall.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 牆; 墙 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
嗇嗇sèwheat in a granary
Sound part声符shēngfú
爿
爿pán牆qiáng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 牆, 爿 gives the sound and 嗇, showing wheat in a granary, gives the wall meaning. The simplified 墙 is a later short form.

Open 墙 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Buildings & Structures

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