Chinese word

挥

Pronunciation

Pinyinhuī

Meaning

  • verbwave

Example

孩子们在公园里挥着彩旗。hái zi men zài gōng yuán lǐ huī zhe cǎi qí

The children are waving colorful flags in the park.

Illustration for 挥 (wave)

More examples

他在车站向朋友挥手告别。tā zài chē zhàn xiàng péng yǒu huī shǒu gào bié

At the train station, he waved to his friend to say goodbye.

Core concept

A hand or tool sweeps through space to send a signal, move something away, or produce an effect.

Common phrases

  • 挥手huī shǒu

    wave one's hand

  • 挥舞国旗huī wǔ guó qí

    wave the national flag

  • 挥笔huī bǐ

    wield a brush

Similar words

招手zhāo shǒu: Moving a hand in the air to call someone or communicate a signal.
摇yáo: Shaking or swaying a body or object from side to side or up and down.
摆动bǎi dòng: Swinging a body or object slowly back and forth around a fixed point.
挥舞huī wǔ: Swinging a hand, flag, or other object around with broad, energetic motions.

Definition in Chinese

用手或借助工具做挥动的动作以指示方向、驱赶或制造效果，口语中常见于'挥手'、'挥旗'等搭配。yòng shǒu huò jiè zhù gōng jù zuò huī dòng de dòng zuò yǐ zhǐ shì fāng xiàng qū gǎn huò zhì zào xiào guǒ kóu yǔ zhōng cháng jiàn yú huī shǒu huī qí děng dā pèi

Word origin

The traditional form 揮 (huī, "to wave") combines a hand radical with a phonetic component, and 挥 (huī, "to wave") is its simplified written form.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, the object being moved can be stated directly, so the verb can describe moving a flag or another object even when no greeting is involved.

Related words

  • 挥霍huī huòsquanderverb
  • 挥洒huī sǎexpress freelyverb

Word lists with this word