How to Write 闱 (wéi) — Meaning “examination hall / palace side gate”

Imagine the radical 门 as the entrance to a grand palace, and the inner part 韦 looks like a person sitting at a small desk studying for exams. This reminds you that 闱 means both 'palace side gate' and 'examination hall'. The shape of 韦 resembles a scholar's table with two horizontal lines for books and a vertical line for a brush.

Be careful to write the radical 门 first, with three strokes: dot, vertical, horizontal hook. Then inside, write 韦 with four strokes in order: horizontal, horizontal, vertical, horizontal. A common mistake is making the vertical stroke of 韦 too long so it touches the bottom of 门; keep it centered and shorter than the outer frame.

The key difference is the inner component: 闱 has 韦 (leather shape), 闪 has 人 (person), and 闫 has 三 (three). Meaning-wise, 闪 means 'to dodge' or 'lightning,' while 闫 is a surname. Visually, 闪's inner part is narrow and tall, 闫's inner part is three stacked horizontals, and 闱's inner part has a wider horizontal stroke at the bottom.

Today, 闱 appears mainly in historical or literary contexts, especially when referring to the ancient imperial examination system. Common terms include 春闱 (spring exam) and 秋闱 (autumn exam), which were national or provincial tests. You will not hear 闱 in everyday conversation, but it is useful for understanding Chinese history and classical texts.

Common words containing 闱 include: 春闱 (chūn wéi) — Spring imperial examination; 秋闱 (qiū wéi) — Provincial civil service examination (held in autumn).; 闱场 (wéi chǎng) — examination venue (imperial exams).