哨位 (shào wèi) — sentry post, guard position

Definition

noun

sentry postguard position

Measure word · 个

Easily confused

哨位。
Shào bīng zài shào wèi shàng zhàn gǎng.
The sentinel stands guard at the sentry post.
哨位24。
Zhè ge shào wèi bì xū 24 xiǎo shí yǒu rén.
This sentry post must be manned 24 hours a day.
哨位。
Tā fù zé jiǎn chá suǒ yǒu shào wèi de qíng kuàng.
He is responsible for inspecting all the guard positions.

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.

位wèiposition

“哨” indicates a sentry or guard and “位” a position, so the word means a guard post.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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

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.