Meaning of 各位
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- everybody
- all (guests, colleagues etc)
- all of you
How to use 各位
各位 is a polite way to address a group, common at the start of speeches, announcements, meetings and emails. It often comes before a noun that names the group. Example: 各位朋友，晚上好。(Gèwèi péngyou, wǎnshang hǎo.) Good evening, friends.
各 (gè) means each, and 位 (wèi) is the polite measure word for people, showing a person 亻 standing 立 in their place. Put together, 各位 is each honored person present, so everybody here.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes use 各位 when talking about people who are not present, but it normally addresses the listeners directly, like all of you. Also keep the tone pattern gèwèi with two falling tones, and do not confuse 位 (wèi) with 立 (lì) or 住 (zhù).
各位 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.
各 gè · each · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
位 wèi · position · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 各位.
| 座位 | zuòwèi | seat |
| 单位 | dānwèi | unit (of measure); unit (group of people as a whole) |
| 各种 | gèzhǒng | every kind of; all kinds of; various |
| 各自 | gèzì | each; respective |
| 各地 | gèdì | in all parts of (a country); various regions |
| 位置 | wèizhì | position; place |
| 地位 | dìwèi | position; status |
| 位于 | wèiyú | to be located at; to be situated at |
| 各个 | gègè | every; various |
| 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 |
Questions about 各位
What does 各位 mean?
各位 (gèwèi) means "everybody; all (guests, colleagues etc)" and is used as a pronoun.
How do you write 各位?
各位 is made of 2 characters: 各 (6 strokes), 位 (7 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 各位 an HSK word?
Yes. 各位 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 各位 and 大家?
大家 (dàjiā) is neutral and works in any setting, including casual talk among friends. 各位 sounds more polite and formal, so it suits speeches, customer service, and formal emails. You can also combine them in some phrases, but 各位 alone is already a full address.
What common phrases use 各位?
You will often hear 各位来宾 (gèwèi láibīn) dear guests, 各位乘客 (gèwèi chéngkè) dear passengers, 各位老师 (gèwèi lǎoshī) teachers, and 各位同事 (gèwèi tóngshì) colleagues. These are standard openings in announcements and formal messages.