魏 wèi — Wei (state) · English

魏

wèi

Wei (state)

At a glance · 魏

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从鬼委声，形声字，本指宫室高大门阙之形（巍本字）。后为国名、姓。隶楷作「魏」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「魏」本指高大的宫观（通「巍」），后指国名。

Structure

形声字，鬼为意符，委为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinwèi

Radical鬼

Strokes18

UnicodeU+9B4F

Character type形声

Theme政事

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English Wei (state) The Wei state; lofty; a surname.

Français Wei (état) L'état de Wei; élevé; un nom.

Español Wei (estado) El estado de Wei; elevado; apellido.

العربية وي (دولة) دولة وي أو لقب.

Русский Вэй (царство) Царство Вэй; высокий; фамилия.

Common words

魏wèiWei
魏国wèi guóWei state

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