wéi
enclose; surround; circle
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我围着桌子走了一圈。
wǒ wéizhe zhuōzi zǒule yīquān.
I walked around the table.
他围着围巾，很暖和。
tā wéizhe wéijīn, hěn nuǎnhuo.
He is wearing a scarf, very warm.
我们围坐在火炉旁，聊天。
wǒmen wéizuò zài huǒlúbàng, liáotiān.
We sat around the stove, chatting.
包围 (bāowéi)
surround
围困 (wéikùn)
besiege
开 (kāi)
open
散 (sàn)
disperse
The Chinese character 围 (wéi) is composed of two parts: 囗 (wéi) and 韋 (wéi). The left part, 囗, is a pictograph of a square or enclosure, representing the idea of surrounding or enclosing. The right part, 韋, is a phonetic component, indicating the pronunciation of the character. The original meaning of 围 was "to surround" or "to enclose", which can be seen in its use in words like 围墙 (wéiqiáng, "enclosure wall") and 围棋 (wéiqí, "Go", a board game where players surround each other's pieces). Over time, the meaning of 围 expanded to include other related concepts, such as "to besiege", "to blockade", and "to gather around". The character is also used in the sense of "to surround" in a more abstract sense, such as in the phrase 围观 (wéiguān, "to watch from the sidelines").
