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归位 (guī wèi) — to return to one's seat or original position

Definition

Literary/classroom phrasing for 'returning to one's seat or original position,' often used in commands or formal settings. Typically used in 把-construction or in the pattern ∼了才… ('back in place before…').

verb
to return to one's seat or original position

Examples

  • 归位。
    Qǐng gè wèi tóng xué guī wèi.
    Please, everyone, return to your seats.
  • 。
    Tā bǎ qí zǐ guī le wèi cái lí kāi.
    He put the chess pieces back in place before leaving.
  • ，归位。
    Huì yì jié shù hòu, dà jiā xùn sù guī wèi.
    After the meeting ended, everyone quickly returned to their seats.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

归guīreturn
位wèiposition

归 means return and 位 means position or seat, so the word describes going back to one's place.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 歸; 归 is its simplified writing.

  • 𠂤𠂤𠂤ancient form of {{zh-l|*師|troops}}
  • 帚帚zhǒubroom; sweep

The traditional form 歸 combines 𠂤 (troops) and 帚 (broom; sweep) to show sweeping away an enemy and returning; the simplified 归 is a later abbreviation.

Open 归 →

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 →
Appears in
Order & Arrangement

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