TongTong
Sign in

复位 (fù wèi) — (medicine) to reset (a dislocation); (politics) to be restored to power or the throne; (technology) to reset (a device or system)

Definition

A technical/formal verb meaning 'to reset or restore to a previous state.' Unlike everyday 恢复, it specifically implies returning to an original, correct position — a dislocated joint, a deposed ruler, or a device's default settings.

verb
(medicine) to reset (a dislocation)(politics) to be restored to power or the throne(technology) to reset (a device or system)

Examples

  • 。
    Yī shēng gěi tā fù le wèi.
    The doctor reset his shoulder.
  • 复位。
    Guó wáng zài zhèng biàn hòu chéng gōng fù wèi.
    The king successfully regained the throne after the coup.
  • 复位。
    Àn zhè ge àn niǔ kě yǐ fù wèi xì tǒng.
    Press this button to reset the system.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

复fùrestore
位wèiposition

复 (restore) and 位 (position) together mean return to a proper position, power, or setting.

Characters in this word

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 復; 复 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 复 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (复习, 恢复) it is 復; in others (复印, 复杂) (答复, 反复) it is 複 or 覆.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
彳彳chìwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
复
复fù復fù
Same sound today

The traditional form 復 combines 彳, a walking part, with 复, a sound part, to show walking back and forth.

Open 复 →

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
Medicine & TreatmentTechnology & Engineering

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.