萎 (wēi) — wither, shrivel, atrophy (bound morpheme used in compounds)
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'wither / shrivel / atrophy' — never used alone. It appears in compounds like 枯萎 (wither), 萎缩 (atrophy), and 萎靡 (listless, dispirited).
bound form
withershrivelatrophy (bound morpheme used in compounds)
Examples
- 。Zhí wù kū wēi de xiàn xiàng zài gān hàn dì qū hěn cháng jiàn.The phenomenon of plants withering is common in dry areas.
- 。Cháng qī wò chuáng huì dǎo zhì jī ròu wēi suō.Long-term bed rest can cause muscle atrophy.
- ，。Tā zuì jìn jīng shén wēi mǐ, shén me dōu bù xiǎng zuò.He's been feeling listless lately and doesn't want to do anything.
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.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant
萎 puts 艹, a plant radical, over 委, which gives the sound.
Appears in
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