维 (wéi) — to maintain, to preserve, to keep in good condition; to join, to connect, to hold together
Definition
维 is almost never used alone — it appears chiefly in compounds like 维持 (maintain) and 联系 (connect). Think of it as the 'maintain/connect' morpheme behind those fixed words.
verb
to maintainto preserveto keep in good conditionto jointo connectto hold together
Examples
- 。Zhèng fǔ nǔ lì wéi chí shè huì zhì xù.The government strives to maintain social order.
- 。Wǒ men bì xū wéi xì liǎng guó zhī jiān de yǒu hǎo guān xì.We must maintain the friendly relations between the two countries.
- 。Zhè zuò qiáo wéi xì zhe liǎng àn de jiāo tōng.This bridge sustains traffic between the two banks.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 維; 维 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìthread
In the traditional form 維, 糸 marks a thread meaning and 唯 provides the sound; the simplified 维 is a later shortened shape.
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