緯

See also: 纬

緯 U+7DEF, 緯 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-7DEF ← 緮 [U+7DEE] CJK Unified Ideographs 緰 → [U+7DF0]

Translingual

Han character

緯 (Kangxi radical 120, 糸+9 in Chinese, 糸+10 in Japanese, 15 strokes in Chinese, 16 strokes in Japanese, cangjie input 女火木一手 (VFDMQ), four-corner 2495₆, composition ⿰糹韋)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 931, character 26
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 27682
• Dae Jaweon: page 1370, character 10
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3432, character 6
• Unihan data for U+7DEF

Chinese

trad.		緯
simp.		纬

Glyph origin

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

	Old Chinese
禕	*qral
郼	*qʷɯl
褘	*qʰʷɯl
諱	*qʰʷɯls
媁	*qʷɯl, *ɢʷɯlʔ
幃	*ɢʷɯl
違	*ɢʷɯl
圍	*ɢʷɯl, *ɢʷɯls
韋	*ɢʷɯl
闈	*ɢʷɯl
湋	*ɢʷɯl
鍏	*ɢʷɯl, *ɢʷɯlʔ
潿	*ɢɯl
韙	*ɢʷɯlʔ
煒	*ɢʷɯlʔ
暐	*ɢʷɯlʔ
偉	*ɢʷɯlʔ
瑋	*ɢʷɯlʔ
葦	*ɢʷɯlʔ
椲	*ɢʷɯlʔ
韡	*ɢʷɯlʔ
愇	*ɢʷɯlʔ
緯	*ɢʷɯls

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *ɢʷɯls): semantic 糸 (“thread”) + phonetic 韋 (OC *ɢʷɯl). In earlier forms of 韋, the components above and below 囗 were feet, each facing in opposite lateral directions (left and right). (In this way, 韋 is also a semantic element representing horizontality.)

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): wěi (wei³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄨㄟˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): wai⁶ / wai⁵
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): vî
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): úi / ūi / hūi

  (Teochew, Peng'im): ui²

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: wěi
    • Zhuyin: ㄨㄟˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: wěi
    • Wade–Giles: wei³
    • Yale: wěi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: woei
    • Palladius: вэй (vɛj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /weɪ̯²¹⁴/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: wai⁶ / wai⁵
    • Yale: waih / wáih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: wai⁶ / wai⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: wei⁶ / wei⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɐi̯²²/, /wɐi̯¹³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: vî
    • Hakka Romanization System: vi^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: vi¹
    • Sinological IPA: /vi²⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, variant in Taiwan, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: úi
    • Tâi-lô: uí
    • Phofsit Daibuun: uie
    • IPA (Taipei, Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /ui⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /ui⁴¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /ui⁵⁵⁴/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ūi
    • Tâi-lô: uī
    • Phofsit Daibuun: ui
    • IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /ui³³/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /ui²²/
  • (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hūi
    • Tâi-lô: huī
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hui
    • IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /hui³³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: ui²
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: úi
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ui⁵²/

---

• Middle Chinese: hjw+jH

Rime
Character	緯
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	云 (35)
Final (韻)	微 (21)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	于貴切
Baxter	hjw+jH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦʉiH/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦʷɨiH/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣiuəiH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦujH/
Li Rong	/ɣiuəiH/
Wang Li	/ɣĭwəiH/
Bernhard Karlgren	/we̯iH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	wèi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	wai6

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɢʷɯls/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	緯
Reading #	1/1
No.	12833
Phonetic component	韋
Rime group	微
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	胃
Old Chinese	/*ɢʷɯls/

Definitions

緯

1. weft; woof (horizontal thread in a woven fabric)

   Coordinate term: 經 / 经

   • 凡地形，東西為緯，南北為經，……。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     凡地形，东西为纬，南北为经，……。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Huainanzi, 2^nd century BCE

     Fán dìxíng, dōngxī wèi wěi, nánběi wèi jīng,....... [Pinyin]

     In the [fabric of] the earth’s shape, east and west are the weft / woof; north and south are the warp; [...].

2. (geography) latitude

   Coordinate term: 經 / 经

3. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) planet
4. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to weave; to wrap
5. Short for 緯書／纬书 (wěishū, “Confucian occult”).

Compounds

• 七緯 / 七纬
• 中緯度 / 中纬度
• 低緯度 / 低纬度
• 六緯 / 六纬
• 北緯 / 北纬 (běiwěi)
• 南緯 / 南纬 (nánwěi)
• 圖緯 / 图纬
• 嫠不恤緯 / 嫠不恤纬
• 嫠緯之憂 / 嫠纬之忧
• 文經武緯 / 文经武纬
• 沒了經緯 / 没了经纬
• 沒經緯 / 没经纬
• 絡緯 / 络纬 (luòwěi)
• 經天緯地 / 经天纬地 (jīngtiānwěidì)
• 經文緯武 / 经文纬武
• 經武緯文 / 经武纬文
• 經緯 / 经纬 (jīngwěi)
• 經緯儀 / 经纬仪 (jīngwěiyí)
• 經緯天下 / 经纬天下
• 經緯度 / 经纬度
• 緯世 / 纬世
• 緯地經天 / 纬地经天
• 緯帽 / 纬帽
• 緯度 / 纬度 (wěidù)
• 緯書 / 纬书 (wěishū)
• 緯武經文 / 纬武经文
• 緯線 / 纬线 (wěixiàn)
• 緯繣 / 纬𰬠
• 緯象 / 纬象
• 讖緯 / 谶纬 (chènwěi)
• 赤緯 / 赤纬 (chìwěi)
• 高緯度 / 高纬度

Japanese

Shinjitai	緯
Kyūjitai	緯󠄃 緯+󠄃? (Hanyo-Denshi) (Moji_Joho)
The displayed kanji may be different from the image due to your environment. See here for details.

Kanji

緯

(Jōyō kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: い (i, Jōyō)^{←ゐ (wi, historical)}
• Kan-on: い (i, Jōyō)^{←ゐ (wi, historical)}
• Kun: ぬき (nuki, 緯)、よこ (yoko, 緯)、よこいと (yokoito, 緯)
• Nanori: つかね (tsukane)

Compounds

• 緯(よこ)経(たて) (yokotate): breadth and length; woof and warp

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
緯
い Grade: S
on'yomi

/wi/ → /i/

From Middle Chinese 緯 (MC hjw+jH).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) い [íꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [i]

Noun

緯(い) • (i) ^{←ゐ (wi)?}

1. weft, woof
2. parallels of latitude

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
緯
ぬき Grade: S
kun'yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 緯 – see the following entry: ぬき

(The following entry does not have a page created for it yet: ぬき.)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
緯
よこいと Grade: S
kun'yomi

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

【横糸よこいと】 [noun] (weaving) weft Alternative spellings 緯糸, よこ糸

(This term, 緯, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

Korean

Hanja

緯 • (wi) (hangeul 위, revised wi, McCune–Reischauer wi, Yale wi)

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

Vietnamese

Han character

緯: Hán Nôm readings: vĩ, vỉa

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