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	/ɦʉi^H/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦʷɨi^H/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣiuəi^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦuj^H/
Li Rong	/ɣiuəi^H/
Wang Li	/ɣĭwəi^H/
Bernard Karlgren	/we̯i^H/
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

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; [...].
(geography) latitude
Coordinate term: 經／经
^† planet
^† to weave; to wrap
Short for 緯書／纬书 (wěishū, “Confucian occult”).

Compounds

Japanese

Shinjitai	緯
Kyūjitai ^[1]	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])^[2]
IPA^(key): [i]

Noun

緯(い) • (i) ^{←ゐ (wi)^?}

weft, woof
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 is uncreated: 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: よこいと

(The following entry is uncreated: よこいと.)

References

^ “緯”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2024
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

Hanja

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

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

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

[1] “緯”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2024

[DJR-2] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[1]

[2]