喂 (wèi) - Feed — to give food to & to provide nourishment

喂Tone 4

wèi ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

万响

喂 · wèi

Feed — to give food to;

to provide nourishment;

to supply;

also used as a telephone greeting (hello).

Feed — to give food toto provide nourishmentto supply

Usage highlights

Feed livestockFeed the babyFeed animalsAutomatic feedingHelloFeed materials

Synonyms

  • 喂养— to feed, to raise (animals)
  • 饲— to feed, to raise (animals)
  • 养— to raise, to feed

Antonyms

  • 饿— to starve, to be hungry
  • 饥— hunger, famine

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I need to feed the baby (喂宝宝).
  • He works feeding livestock (喂牲畜).
  • Hello, who is speaking?(喂，哪位？)
  • The machine automatically feeds paper (机器自动喂纸).

Collocations

  • Feed livestock(喂牲畜)
  • Feed the baby(喂宝宝)
  • Feed animals(喂动物)
  • Automatic feeding(自动喂料)
  • Hello (telephone greeting)(喂)
  • Feed materials(喂料)

Idioms

  • To feed a tiger what it covets(喂虎割肉)
  • To feed a ravenous wolf(喂饿狼)
  • To cast pearls before swine(对牛喂珍)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally meant 'to feed animals', later extended to general feeding and nourishment.
  • In modern Chinese, widely used as a telephone greeting equivalent to 'hello'.
  • The character combines the mouth radical (口) with the component 畏, suggesting feeding with care or caution.

FAQ