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席位 (xí wèi) — a seat (in a theater, stadium, etc.); a seat (parliamentary, board, etc.); a position in an organization

Definition

席位 is a formal word for an assigned 'seat' — usually a membership position on a board, parliament, or committee. More institutional than the everyday 座位 or 位子.

noun
a seat (in a theater, stadium, etc.)a seat (parliamentary, board, etc.)a position in an organization
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 席位。
    Zhè chǎng yīn yuè huì yǒu yì qiān gè xí wèi.
    This concert has a thousand seats.
  • 席位。
    Qǐng àn piào hào zhǎo dào zì jǐ de xí wèi.
    Please find your seat according to your ticket number.
  • 席位。
    Tā zài dǒng shì huì huò dé le yí gè xí wèi.
    She obtained a seat on the board of directors.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

席xíseat
位wèiposition

Both 席 and 位 point to a place to sit or hold, so together they mean a seat or position.

Characters in this word

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

席 originally showed a woven mat with an ornament. In 席, the mat became 巾, and a later sound part was written as 庶.

Open 席 →

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 7-9Social Roles & Status

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