Meaning
委 (wěi) primarily means to entrust someone with a task or responsibility, or to appoint someone to a position. As a bound morpheme, it appears in many compounds related to delegation, committees, and indirect actions. It can also mean 'indirect' or 'roundabout' in certain contexts.
Usage
委 is rarely used alone in modern spoken Mandarin. It typically appears in formal compounds like 委托 (to entrust), 委员 (committee member), 委屈 (to feel wronged), and 委婉 (tactful, indirect). These compounds are common in both written and spoken formal contexts.
Examples
- 01公司委以他重任，负责开拓海外市场。, .The company entrusted him with important responsibilities to develop overseas markets.
- 02她用委婉的方式拒绝了他的邀请。.She declined his invitation in a tactful way.
Common collocations
- 委以重任to entrust with important responsibility
- 委员会committee
- 委派to appoint, to委ssion
Antonyms
Origin
The character 委 originally depicted grain (禾) being placed or bent down by a woman (女), suggesting the idea of putting something down or entrusting it to someone else. This semantic connection evolved into meanings of delegation and appointment.