围

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").