Dictionary › 位

位

wèi

Old HSK 3 HSK 3.0 character level 2 Character

位 (wèi) means "(polite classifier for people); position; seat". It is an HSK 3.0 level 2 word, and was HSK 3 in the old six-level list.

What 位 means

1. position
2. location
3. place
4. seat
5. classifier for people (honorific)
6. classifier for binary bits (e.g. 十六位 16-bit or 2 bytes)
7. physicspotential

How 位 is used in grammar

位 is a grammar word. Each link goes to its own section: what it does in that pattern, the structure, three example sentences with pinyin, and the mistake to avoid.

• Classifiers: 层、封、件、条、位 and Action Measures (HSK 2)

The official HSK 3.0 grammar outline lists it at level 2, measure words (名量词).

Example sentences

• 几位？
  How many people?
• 下一位！
  Next person!
• 三位学生。
  Three students.
• 你们是几位？
  How many of you are there?
• 她是位老师。
  She is a teacher.
• 还剩座位吗？
  Are any seats still available?

Words starting with 位

• 位置wèi zhiposition; place; seat
• 位于wèi yúto be located at; to be situated at; to lie
• 位子wèi ziplace; seat
• 位居wèi jūto be located at
• 位次wèi cìplace (in numbered sequence); degree on employment scale
• 位面wèi miànplane (of existence)
• 位列wèi lièto rank
• 位图wèi túraster graphics
• 位元wèi yuán(Taiwan; computing) bit
• 位元组wèi yuán zǔ(Taiwan) byte (computing)
• 位形wèi xíngconfiguration
• 位置效应wèi zhì xiào yìngposition effect
• 位形空间wèi xíng kōng jiānconfiguration space (math.)
• 位移wèi yí(geometry) displacement (a vector quantity)
• 位元币Wèi yuán bìBitcoin
• 位极人臣wèi jí rén chénto have reached the highest official positions

Words containing 位

• 单位dān wèiunit (of measure); unit (group of people as a whole)…
• 这位zhè wèithis (person)
• 座位zuò wèiseat
• 地位dì wèiposition; status; place
• 学位xué wèiacademic degree; place in school
• 岗位gǎng wèia post; a job
• 职位zhí wèiposition; post; job
• 部位bù wèipart…
• 诸位zhū wèi(pron) everyone; Ladies and Gentlemen; Sirs
• 方位fāng wèidirection; points of the compass; bearing
• 各位gè wèieverybody; all (guests, colleagues etc); all of you
• 定位dìng wèito orientate; to position; to categorize (as)
• 到位dào wèito get to the intended location; to be in place; to be in position
• 品位pǐn wèirank; grade; quality
• 价位jià wèiprice level
• 全方位quán fāng wèiall around; omnidirectional; complete
• 摊位tān wèivendor's booth
• 床位chuáng wèibed (in hospital, hotel, train etc); berth; bunk
• 车位chē wèiparking spot; unloading point; garage place
• 高位gāo wèihigh position; eminent status; top job
• 席位xí wèia seat (in a theater, stadium etc); parliamentary or congressional seat
• 在位zài wèito be on the throne; to reign; to hold a particular leadership position
• 水位shuǐ wèiwater level
• 空位kōng wèiempty place; room (for sb)

Characters that look like 位

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 但dànbut; yet; however; still; merely; only; just
• 往wǎngto go (in a direction); to; towards
• 弥mífull; to fill; completely
• 佐zuǒto assist; assistant; aide
• 弦xiánbow string; string of musical instrument; watchspring
• 伍wǔsquad of five soldiers; to associate with; five (banker's anti-fraud numeral)

Sounds the same

Read wèi, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 喂hey; to feed (an animal, baby, invalid etc)
• 未not yet; did not; have not
• 卫to guard; to protect; to defend
• 味taste; smell; (fig.) (noun suffix) feel
• 谓to speak; to say; to name
• 慰to comfort; to console; to reassure
• 胃stomach
• 畏to fear
• 魏tower over a palace gateway (old)
• 蔚Artemisia japonica; luxuriant; resplendent
• 尉military officer
• 渭the Wei River in Shaanxi through the Guanzhong Plain 关中平原

Where 位 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Abstract Nouns & Key Concepts (HSK 3), HSK 3 Characters · Set 8 (HSK 3), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 3 word, with the rest of its level.
• How characters are built from components.
• How to learn Chinese characters.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read wèi correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.