位 wèi position
polite measure word for people; position; seat
How to remember 位: 亻 person + 立 stand = position. At the gala the head waiter checks every person who has to stand at the door, until each one is in position.
Component breakdown
位 = 亻 person + 立 stand
- 亻 person
- 立 stand
At the gala the head waiter checks every person who has to stand at the door, until each one is in position.
How it came to be
A person with somebody standing on a line beside them. It is the spot rather than the person: where one stood at court said who one was, and the character is that floor marking.
How it is used
- A polite measure word for people - 一位老师 (yí wèi lǎoshī) a teacher, 三位客人 (sān wèi kèrén) three guests. Use it to show respect; 个 (gè) is the neutral/plain counter.
- Trap: don't use 位 for yourself or in casual/negative contexts - it flatters the person counted. The noun sense "position/seat" appears in 座位 (zuòwèi) seat, 位置 (wèizhì) position.
Characters built with 位
Words with 位
- 座位zuòwèiseatHSK 4
- 单位dānwèiunit (of measure)HSK 4
- 各位gèwèieverybodyHSK 4
- 车位chēwèiparking spotHSK 4
- 位于wèiyúto be located atHSK 5
- 位置wèizhìpositionHSK 5
- 地位dìwèipositionHSK 5
- 学位xuéwèiacademic degreeHSK 6
- 定位dìngwèito orientateHSK 6
- 岗位gǎngwèia postHSK 6
- 方位fāngwèidirectionHSK 6
- 职位zhíwèipositionHSK 6
- 部位bùwèipartHSK 6
- 价位jiàwèiprice levelHSK 7
- 位子wèiziplaceHSK 7
- 全方位quánfāngwèiall aroundHSK 7
- 到位dàowèito get to the intended locationHSK 7
- 床位chuángwèibed (in hospital, hotel, train etc)HSK 7
- 错位cuòwèito be wrongly positionedHSK 7
- 品位pǐnwèirankHSK 8
- 席位xíwèia seat (in a theater, stadium etc)HSK 8
- 穴位xuéwèiacupuncture pointHSK 9
- 诸位zhūwèieveryoneHSK 9
Example sentences
- 来了一位客人。 Láile yí wèi kèren.One guest has arrived.
- 我认识那位先生。 Wǒ rènshi nà wèi xiānsheng.I know that gentleman over there.
- 河水的水位大概是6米。 Héshuǐ de shuǐwèi dàgài shì liù mǐ.The water level of the river is about six meters.
- 那位先生很有礼貌。 Nà wèi xiānsheng hěn yǒu lǐmào.That man is extremely polite.