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包围 (bāo wéi) — to surround, to encircle, to hem in

Definition

A vivid verb for being encircled by enemies, mountains, or problems — passive 'be surrounded by' is the most common pattern. 困 is more for being trapped physically; 环 and 环绕 describe surrounding in a neutral, often circular sense.

verb
to surroundto encircleto hem in

Examples

  • 包围。
    Dí rén bèi wǒ men bāo wéi le.
    The enemy was surrounded by us.
  • ，包围。
    Zhè zuò xiǎo chéng sì miàn huán shān, bèi qún shān bāo wéi.
    This small town is surrounded by mountains on all sides.
  • 包围，。
    Tā bèi gè zhǒng wèn tí bāo wéi, bù zhī rú hé jiě jué.
    He was surrounded by various problems and didn't know how to solve them.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

包bāosurround
围wéisurround

包 and 围 both express encircling, so together they mean to surround or encircle.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 包 pictures a fetus in a womb, or a baby wrapped in cloth.

Open 包 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Military & Defense5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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