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方位 (fāng wèi) — direction, orientation, position (especially relative to compass points)

Definition

方位 is a more technical/formal word for a specific position or orientation (often using compass points) — more precise than 方向 ('general direction'). Often appears in fixed compass terms like 东南方位.

noun
directionorientationposition (especially relative to compass points)

Examples

  • 方位？
    Nǐ néng gào sù wǒ zhè ge fāng wèi zài nǎ lǐ ma?
    Can you tell me where this direction/position is?
  • ，方位。
    Tā de fāng xiàng gǎn hěn qiáng, zǒng néng zhǔn què pàn duàn fāng wèi.
    He has a strong sense of direction and can always accurately judge orientation.
  • ，方位。
    Zài yě wài, wǒ men kě yǐ yòng zhǐ nán zhēn què dìng fāng wèi.
    In the wild, we can use a compass to determine direction.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

方fāngdirection
位wèiposition

方 names a direction and 位 a position, so together they refer to where something lies or points.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 方 →

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 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Directions

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