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各位 (gè wèi) — everyone, all of you (polite, used to address a group)

Definition

A polite vocative used to address a group directly ('Ladies and gentlemen', 'everyone'). More formal and respectful than 大家, which is neutral everyday 'everyone'.

pronoun
everyoneall of you (polite, used to address a group)

Examples

  • 各位。
    Huān yíng gè wèi cān jiā jīn tiān de huì yì.
    Welcome everyone to today's meeting.
  • 各位，。
    gè wèi Qǐng zhù yì, xiàn zài kāi shǐ kǎo shì.
    Everyone, please pay attention — the exam starts now.
  • 各位。
    Gǎn xiè gè wèi tí chū de bǎo guì yì jiàn.
    Thank you all for your valuable suggestions.

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.

各gèeach
位wèiperson

各 (each) and 位 (person) combine to mean everyone, politely.

Characters in this word

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

各 shows a sole of a foot (夂) coming into an entrance (口), for the sense of coming or entering.

Open 各 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 41000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsGreetings & Politeness2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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