Meaning of 位
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- position
- location
- place
- seat
- classifier for people (honorific)
- classifier for binary bits (e.g. 十六位 16-bit or 2 bytes)
- (physics) potential
How to use 位
As a classifier, 位 is a polite way to count people, used for guests, teachers, and customers. It also appears in words about place and rank, like 位置 (wèizhì) and 地位 (dìwèi). Example: 请问几位？(Qǐngwèn jǐ wèi?) How many people are in your party?
位 is made of 亻 (person) and 立 (lì, to stand). A person standing in their spot gives you the idea of a position or place, and also a polite way to count people.
Common mistake: Learners often use 位 for people they are not showing respect to. With 我 or in casual or negative contexts, use 个 (gè) instead. Saying 这位小偷 sounds odd, so say 这个小偷. Also do not confuse 位 with 拉 (lā), which has the hand radical 扌 instead of 亻.
位 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
位 wèi · position · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 位.
| 座位 | zuòwèi | seat |
| 单位 | dānwèi | unit (of measure); unit (group of people as a whole) |
| 各位 | gèwèi | everybody; all (guests, colleagues etc) |
| 位置 | wèizhì | position; place |
| 地位 | dìwèi | position; status |
| 位于 | wèiyú | to be located at; to be situated at |
| 职位 | zhíwèi | position; post; job |
| 部位 | bùwèi | part (esp. of the body, but also of a vegetable, e.g. the root, or a garment, e.g. the sle |
| 学位 | xuéwèi | academic degree; place in school |
| 定位 | dìngwèi | to orientate; to position |
| 诸位 | zhūwèi | (pron) everyone; Ladies and Gentlemen |
| 岗位 | gǎngwèi | a post; a job |
Questions about 位
What does 位 mean?
位 (wèi) means "position; location" and is used as a measure word.
How do you write 位?
位 is made of 1 character: 位 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 位 an HSK word?
Yes. 位 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 位 and 个 for counting people?
个 (gè) is neutral and works for anyone. 位 (wèi) adds politeness, so it fits guests, customers, and people you respect, as in 三位老师 (sān wèi lǎoshī).
What does 单位 mean when Chinese people talk about work?
Besides a unit of measurement, 单位 (dānwèi) often means the place where someone works, such as a company or government office. For example, 你在哪个单位工作？means Which organization do you work for?