慰 wèi to comfort
to comfort; to calm; to reassure
How to remember 慰: 尉 press smooth + 心 heart = to comfort. When her son fails his exam, mum gently tries to press smooth his messy hair and speaks from the heart to comfort him.
Component breakdown
慰 = 尉 press smooth + 心 heart
- 尉 press smooth
- 心 heart
When her son fails his exam, mum gently tries to press smooth his messy hair and speaks from the heart to comfort him.
How it is used
- 慰 is bound, meaning to comfort/console, most commonly in 安慰 (ānwèi), the everyday verb for comforting someone who's upset: 我去安慰她 (wǒ qù ānwèi tā) - I'll go comfort her.
- 欣慰 (xīnwèi) describes a warm, gratified feeling when something turns out well, especially for someone you care about - 看到孩子长大，父母很欣慰 (kàndào háizi zhǎngdà, fùmǔ hěn xīnwèi) - seeing the child grow up, the parents feel gratified.
- 慰问 (wèiwèn) is a formal verb used for official visits to express sympathy or concern, e.g. after a disaster, and doesn't belong in casual speech.
Words with 慰
Example sentences
- 爸爸安慰她，她却不开心。 Bàba ānwèi tā, tā què bù kāixīn.Although her father comforted her, she was still unhappy.