How to Write 圩 (wéi/xū) — Meaning “Embankment; dyke; fair”

Picture a raised bank of earth (土) shaped like a curved wall protecting a village, with the right part 于 looking like a small flagpole marking a fairground. So 圩 can remind you of both a dyke and a market fair. Imagine the earth bank (土) next to a sign (于) for a country fair.

Write the left radical 土 first with three strokes (horizontal, vertical, horizontal), then add the right part 于 starting with a horizontal, then vertical hook, and finally a short downward slash. A common mistake is making the right part too wide or forgetting the hook on the vertical stroke. Keep the overall character balanced, with the left side slightly narrower than the right.

圩 (wéi) means embankment or fair and has 土 on the left plus 于 on the right. 圣 (shèng) means holy or saint and has 又 (hand) on top of 土, appearing more compact. 圤 (pù or pǔ) is rare, meaning a broken bowl or a plot of land, with 卜 (divination) inside the 囗 enclosure. Focus on the right-side component: 圩 uses 于, not 又 or 卜.

圩 commonly appears in words like 圩堤 (wéi dī, dyke) and 圩子 (wéi zi, village protective wall), especially in southern China where flood prevention is important. It also means a rural fair in the term 圩场 (xū cháng), reflecting traditional market gatherings. Note that the pronunciation changes to xū in some dialects for the fair meaning, but standard Mandarin uses wéi.

Common words containing 圩 include: 圩堤 (wéi dī) — Embankment; dyke; 圩子 (wéi zǐ) — Protective wall or embankment around a village; 圩场 (xū cháng) — Country market; fair..