萎 meaning and stroke order
To wither, to wilt
How to write 萎, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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- 11
Meaning of 萎
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to wither
- to drop
- to decline
- spiritless
- Taiwan pr. [wei1]
How 萎 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Plant.
艹 gives the meaning and 委 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 萎
萎 is a plant 艹 (grass) on top of 委 (wěi), which gives the sound. Picture grass that has gone limp and droops down, and you have 萎, to wither.
萎 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It mostly appears in words like 枯萎 (kūwěi, to wilt) and 萎缩 (wěisuō, to shrink or wither), which can describe plants, muscles, or even a shrinking economy. Example: 花枯萎了。(Huā kūwěi le.) The flowers have wilted.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 萎 with 委 (wěi, to entrust), as in 委员 (wěiyuán, committee member). Remember that only the version with the grass radical 艹 means withering. Also note the tone: mainland standard is third tone wěi, while Taiwan says first tone wēi.
Common words with 萎
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
萎 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 萎
How many strokes are in 萎?
萎 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 萎 mean?
萎 (wēi) means to wither, to wilt. A common word with it is 萎缩 (wěisuō), meaning "to wither; to dry up (of a plant)".
How do you pronounce 萎?
萎 is pronounced wēi, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 萎?
The radical of 萎 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 萎 under this radical.
Is 萎 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 萎 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 萎缩 be used for things other than plants?
Yes. 萎缩 is common in medicine and economics. 肌肉萎缩 (jīròu wěisuō) means muscle atrophy, and 市场萎缩 (shìchǎng wěisuō) means a shrinking market.
How do you describe a person who seems listless with 萎?
Use 萎靡 (wěimí) or 萎靡不振 (wěimí bú zhèn), meaning dispirited or listless. For example, 他最近萎靡不振。(Tā zuìjìn wěimí bú zhèn.) He has been listless lately.