How to Write 威 (wēi) — Meaning “power; might; prestige”

Imagine a woman (女) standing fearlessly in front of a giant spear (戈), showing that real power comes from inner strength. The picture of a woman facing down a weapon helps you recall that 威 means power and prestige. Think: "A woman with a weapon is a force to be reckoned with."

Start with the top-left horizontal stroke, then write the 戈 component: left-falling, horizontal hook, left-falling again, and finish with a dot. Then write the 女 underneath, making sure it is narrower than the 戈 above. A common mistake is making the 女 too wide or forgetting the dot on 戈, which changes the character's balance.

威 has 女 below 戈, meaning "power"; 我 has a left side shaped like a hand (手 variant) plus 戈, meaning "I" or "self". 戒 has 廾 (two hands) under 戈, meaning "to warn" or "to forbid". Visually, remember: 威 has a woman, 我 has a hand, and 戒 has two hands holding the weapon.

威 appears in formal or serious contexts such as 威风 (awe-inspiring presence), 威力 (force or might), and 威信 (prestige or authority). Culturally, it is often used in military or leadership terms, and in idioms like 威逼利诱 (to coerce and bribe), emphasizing the idea of power influencing others.

Common words containing 威 include: 威风 (wēi fēng) — power and prestige; 威力 (wēi lì) — power; might; force; 威信 (wēi xìn) — prestige; authority.