Chinese word

围

Pronunciation

Pinyinwéi

Meaning

  • verbsurround

Example

大家把孩子围在中间。dà jiā bǎ hái zi wéi zài zhōng jiān

Everyone surrounds the child, with the child in the middle.

Illustration for 围 (surround)

More examples

警察把嫌疑人围住了，准备逮捕。jǐng chá bǎ xián yí rén wéi zhù le zhǔn bèi dài bǔ

The police have surrounded the suspect and are preparing to arrest him.

Core concept

Closes in from all sides so that a person or thing remains within a boundary.

Common phrases

  • 被围住bèi wéi zhù

    be surrounded

  • 围观wéi guān

    crowd around to watch

  • 围成圈wéi chéng quān

    form a circle

Similar words

围住wéi zhù: To surround someone or something so that escape is blocked and the person or thing stays in place.
包围bāo wéi: To surround someone or something as a group, restricting movement and cutting off outside access.

Definition in Chinese

用人群或物件从四周包围某人或某物，使其处于内部并与外界隔离yòng rén qún huò wù jiàn cóng sì zhōu bāo wéi mǒu rén huò mǒu wù shǐ qí chǔ yú nèi bù bìng yǔ wài jiè gé lí

Word origin

围 (wéi, "surround") uses 囗 (wéi, "enclosure") for the idea of a closed boundary and 韦 (wéi, "leather") mainly for its sound.

Usage tips

  • Chinese often marks the completed state with a result complement after this verb, making clear that the surrounding action has produced a closed enclosure.

Other meanings

  • besiegeverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word