How to Write 渭 (wèi) — Meaning “Wei (referring to the Wei River)”

Imagine the Wei River (渭) flowing through a stomach-shaped valley — the left side is water (氵) and the right side 胃 looks like a stomach. This visual of water passing through a stomach helps link the character to the river's name.

Write the left radical 氵 first as three dots, then the right part 胃: start with the vertical field (田) and finish with the bottom part 月. A common mistake is making the 胃 too wide or forgetting the bottom horizontal stroke connects the two halves.

Unlike 流 (liú, to flow) which is a general verb for flowing, 渭 is a specific proper noun for a river. Compared to 浙 (zhè, as in Zhejiang), which also has the water radical but uses a different right component (折 vs 胃), 渭 is exclusively used for the Wei River.

渭 appears mostly in geographical names, especially 渭河 (Wei River) and related terms like 泾渭 (referring to two rivers in Shaanxi). It is rarely used outside of these river references, but the phrase 泾渭分明 describes two things being clearly distinct, originating from the clear Jing and muddy Wei Rivers.

Common words containing 渭 include: 渭河 (wèi hé) — Wei River; 渭水 (wèi shuǐ) — Wei River; 泾渭 (jīng wèi) — The Jing and Wei Rivers.