位

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Han character

位 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+5, 7 strokes, cangjie input 人卜廿 (OYT), four-corner 2021₈, composition ⿰亻立)

Derived characters

• 𭂏, 𠴖, 𭠿, 涖, 𡾵, 𪝯, 𡸏, 莅, 𬕅, 𠑖

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 98, character 7
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 503
• Dae Jaweon: page 206, character 18
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 138, character 3
• Unihan data for U+4F4D

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Chinese

simp. and trad.		位

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 位
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)	Libian (compiled in Qing)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts	Clerical script
Oracle bone script j18932 Bronze inscriptions b12296 Small seal script s05743 Transcribed ancient scripts L36336 L36337 L36338 L36339 L21781 L21782 L21783 L21784 L21785
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Characters in the same phonetic series (立) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
涖	*rɯːbs, *rɯbs
莅	*rɯbs, *rɯbs
蒞	*rɯbs
位	*ɢʷrɯbs
拉	*ruːb
菈	*ruːb
颯	*sluːb
立	*rɯb
粒	*rɯb
笠	*ɡ·rɯb
砬	*rɯb
岦	*rɯb
苙	*ɡ·rɯb, *ɡrɯb
鴗	*rɯb
雴	*r̥ʰɯb
泣	*kʰrɯb

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ɢʷrɯbs) : semantic 亻 (“man”) + phonetic 立 (OC *rɯb, “stand”). Also ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) .

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *g-r(j)ap (“to stand”). Cognate with 立 (OC *rɯb).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): wèi (wei⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄨㄟˋ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): wai⁶ / wai^6-2

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): vei⁵ / vei^5*

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): vi

  (Meixian, Guangdong): vi⁴

• Northern Min (KCR): ṳ̄
• Eastern Min (BUC): ôi
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): ūi

  (Teochew, Peng'im): ui⁷

• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ⁶we

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: wèi
    • Zhuyin: ㄨㄟˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: wèi
    • Wade–Giles: wei⁴
    • Yale: wèi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wey
    • Palladius: вэй (vɛj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /weɪ̯⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: wai⁶ / wai^6-2
    • Yale: waih / wái
    • Cantonese Pinyin: wai⁶ / wai^6-2
    • Guangdong Romanization: wei⁶ / wei^6-2
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɐi̯²²/, /wɐi̯²²⁻³⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: vei⁵ / vei^5*
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /vei³²/, /vei³²⁻³²⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: vi
    • Hakka Romanization System: vi
    • Hagfa Pinyim: vi⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /vi⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: vi⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /ʋi⁵³/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: ṳ̄
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /y⁵⁵/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: ôi
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ui²⁴²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ūi
    • Tâi-lô: uī
    • Phofsit Daibuun: ui
    • IPA (Xiamen): /ui²²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /ui⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /ui²²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /ui³³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /ui³³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: ui⁷
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ūi
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ui¹¹/
• Wu
  • (Shanghai):
    • Wugniu: ⁶we
    • MiniDict: we^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³hhue
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɦue²³/

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• Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 位
Mandarin	Beijing	/uei⁵¹/
	Harbin	/uei⁵³/
	Tianjin	/vei⁵³/
	Jinan	/vei²¹/
	Qingdao	/ve⁴²/
	Zhengzhou	/uei³¹²/
	Xi'an	/uei⁴⁴/
	Xining	/uɨ²¹³/
	Yinchuan	/vei¹³/
	Lanzhou	/vei¹³/
	Ürümqi	/vei²¹³/
	Wuhan	/uei³⁵/
	Chengdu	/uei¹³/
	Guiyang	/uei²¹³/
	Kunming	/uei²¹²/
	Nanjing	/uəi⁴⁴/
	Hefei	/ue⁵³/
Jin	Taiyuan	/vei⁴⁵/
	Pingyao	/uei³⁵/
	Hohhot	/vei⁵⁵/
Wu	Shanghai	/ɦue²³/
	Suzhou	/ɦue̞³¹/
	Hangzhou	/ɦui¹³/
	Wenzhou	/vu²²/
Hui	Shexian	/ue²²/
	Tunxi	/ue¹¹/ /y¹¹/
Xiang	Changsha	/uei⁵⁵/ /uei¹¹/
	Xiangtan	/uəi²¹/
Gan	Nanchang	/ui²¹/
Hakka	Meixian	/vi⁵³/
	Taoyuan	/vui⁵⁵/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/wɐi²²/
	Nanning	/wɐi²²/
	Hong Kong	/wɐi²²/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/ui²²/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/uɔi²⁴²/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/y⁴⁴/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/ui³¹/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/ui³³/

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• Middle Chinese: hwijH

Rime
Character	位
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	云 (35)
Final (韻)	脂 (18)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	于愧切
Baxter	hwijH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦˠiuɪH/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦʷᵚiH/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣiuɪH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦjwiH/
Li Rong	/ɣjuiH/
Wang Li	/ɣwiH/
Bernard Karlgren	/wiH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	wèi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	wai6

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[ɢ]ʷrəp-s/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɢʷrɯbs/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	位
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	wèi
Middle Chinese	‹ hwijH ›
Old Chinese	/*[ɢ]ʷrəp-s/ (< *ɢʷəʔ-rəp-s ?)
English	standing, position
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	位
Reading #	1/1
No.	7865
Phonetic component	立
Rime group	內
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	位
Old Chinese	/*ɢʷrɯbs/

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 位

1. position; location
2. title; official position
3. seat; seating
4. throne; royal seat
5. rank; grade; status
6. standard; rule
7. (honorific) people
8. digit

   三位數／三位数  ―  sān wèi shù  ―  three-digit number

9. (often polite) Classifier for persons.

   這位歌手／这位歌手  ―  zhè wèi gēshǒu  ―  this singer

   那位先生  ―  nà wèi xiānshēng  ―  that man

10. to be situated at; to be located at
11. to arrange; to set out
12. (information theory) bit (the smallest unit of storage in a digital computer)

Synonyms

• (location):

(deprecated template usage)

• 位置 (wèizhì)
• 去處／去处 (qùchù)
• 地位 (dìwèi)
• 地場／地场 (Xiamen Hokkien, Zhangzhou Hokkien)
• 地方
• 地點／地点 (dìdiǎn)
• 場地／场地 (chǎngdì)
• 場所／场所 (chǎngsuǒ)
• 定位 (dìngwèi)
• 所在 (suǒzài)
• 所在地 (suǒzàidì)
• 旮旯 (gālá) (dialectal Mandarin)
• 處所／处所 (chùsuǒ)
• 部位 (bùwèi)
• 點基／点基 (dienn³ ji¹) (Xiang)

 

• (title): (literary) 地步 (dìbù), 地位 (dìwèi)
• (seat):

(deprecated template usage)

• 位子 (wèizi)
• 坐具 (zuòjù) (as furniture)
• 坐席 (zuòxí)
• 席位 (xíwèi)
• 座位 (zuòwèi)
• 座席 (zuòxí)

 

• (throne):

(deprecated template usage)

• 寶座／宝座 (bǎozuò)
• 御座 (yùzuò)
• 王位 (wángwèi)
• 王座 (wángzuò)
• 皇位 (huángwèi)

 

• (bit): 比特 (bǐtè), 位元 (wèiyuán)

Further reading

• “Entry #2873”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji

位

(grade 4 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: い (i, Jōyō)^{←ゐ (wi, historical)}
• Kan-on: い (i, Jōyō)^{←ゐ (wi, historical)}
• Kun: くらい (kurai, 位, Jōyō)^{←くらゐ (kurawi, 位, historical)}

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
位
い Grade: 4
on’yomi

Middle Chinese 位 (ɦˠiuɪ^H)

Affix

位(い) • (i) ^{←ゐ (wi)?}

1. rank, place

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 位(い)階(かい) (ikai)
• 位(い)冠(かん) (ikan)
• 位(い)官(かん) (ikan)
• 位(い)記(き) (iki)
• 位(い)勲(くん) (ikun)
• 位(い)次(じ) (iji)
• 位(い)相(そう) (isō)
• 位(い)置(ち) (ichi)
• 位(い)牌(はい) (ihai)
• 騎(き)乗(じょう)位(い) (kijōi, “cowgirl position”)
• 屈(くっ)曲(きょく)位(い) (kukkyokui, “Viennese oyster”)
• 交(こう)差(さ)位(い) (kōsai, “a sex position in which both partners' legs are interlocked”)
• 後(こう)背(はい)位(い) (kōhaī, “doggy style”)
• 座(ざ)位(い) (zai), 坐(ざ)位(い) (zai, “seat; posing of sitting; sitting sex position”)
• 伸(しん)長(ちょう)位(い) (shinchōi, “a variation of the missionary position in which a man spreads himself over the woman”)
• 側(そく)位(い) (sokui, “spoons position”)
• 立(りつ)位(い) (ritsui, “standing sex position”)

Counter

位(い) • (-i) ^{←ゐ (wi)?}

1. rank, place

   第(だい)１(いち)位(い)である。

   Dai-ichi-i de aru.

   To be ranked first.

   ２(に)位(い)になる。

   Ni-i ni naru.

   To take second place.

   １０(じゅう)位(い)に落(お)ちる。

   Jū-i ni ochiru.

   To drop to tenth place.

2. decimal place
3. ghosts

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
位
くらい Grade: 4
kun’yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 位 – see the following entry.

【くらい】 [adverb] about, approximately [adverb] at least, if anything [noun] grade, rank, standing [noun] the throne, the crown [noun] (mathematics) place, position [noun] being at the point where ... [suffix] seat, position, rank, grade

(This term, 位, is an alternative spelling (obsolete for adverb) of the above term.)

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Korean

Hanja

位 (eum 위 (wi))

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

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Vietnamese

Han character

位: Hán Nôm readings: vị, vì

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Compounds

• 形位 (“hình vị”)

References

• Nom Foundation