萎 wēi to wither
to wither; to wilt
How to remember 萎: 艹 grass + 委 entrust = to wither. Before the holidays he decides to entrust the grass to his teenage son, and within a week it begins to wither.
Component breakdown
萎 = 艹 grass + 委 entrust
- 艹 grass
- 委 entrust
Before the holidays he decides to entrust the grass to his teenage son, and within a week it begins to wither.
How it is used
- 'To wither/wilt' - 枯萎 (kūwěi) for plants drying up, and figuratively 萎缩 (wěisuō) to atrophy or shrink, used of muscles (肌肉萎缩), the economy (经济萎缩), or markets.
- 萎缩 implies a decline from a fuller former state, not mere smallness - a shrinking, shriveling process.