Chinese word

包围

Pronunciation

Pinyinbāo wéi

Meaning

  • verbsurround

Example

粉丝把偶像包围了，要合影。fěn sī bǎ ǒu xiàng bāo wéi le yào hé yǐng

Fans surrounded their idol to get a group photo.

Illustration for 包围 (surround)

More examples

军队把敌方阵地包围，切断了补给线。jūn duì bǎ dí fāng zhèn dì bāo wéi qiē duàn le bú jǐ xiàn

The army surrounded the enemy position and cut off its supply line.

Core concept

People or objects form a complete boundary around a central target, leaving no open route away.

Common phrases

  • 把人包围起来bǎ rén bāo wéi qǐ lái

    surround a person

  • 被包围住bèi bāo wéi zhù

    be surrounded and trapped

  • 包围阵地bāo wéi zhèn dì

    surround a position

Similar words

围住wéi zhù: To encircle a person or thing and block movement in or out.
围绕wéi rào: To form a circle around a central person, thing, or point.

Definition in Chinese

从四周围住某人或某物，使其不能自由离开。cóng sì zhōu wéi zhù mǒu rén huò mǒu wù shǐ qí bù néng zì yóu lí kāi

Word origin

包 (bāo, "wrap") suggests enclosing something, while 围 (wéi, "encircle") adds a surrounding boundary, so their combination gives the word its four-sided sense.

Usage tips

  • The verb often describes crowds as well as physical forces, and the surrounding group can be friendly, curious, or threatening depending on the context.

Other meanings

  • encirclementnoun

Opposites

  • 突围tū wéibreak out of an encirclementverb
  • 解围jiě wéirelieve a siegeverb

Related words

  • 包围圈bāo wéi quānencirclement ringnoun
  • 包围网bāo wéi wǎngencirclement netnoun

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