尾 (wěi): tail, remainder, remnant
尾 (wěi) is a Chinese character meaning “tail.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 尸 (structural) and 毛 (structural). It ranks #1274 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 尾 a furry 毛 tail behind a body 尸. Its radical form 尸 (corpse) appears in many related characters such as 层 (céng, to pile on top of one another), 尽 (jǐn, to the greatest extent), 屋 (wū, (bound form) house).
Definitions
- tail
- remainder
- remnant
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA furry 毛 tail behind a body 尸
Decomposition: ⿸尸毛 (layout: surround-from-upper-left)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 尾 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 尾
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 鸡尾酒noun | jī wěi jiǔ | (calque) cocktail |
| 从头到尾adverb | cóng tóu dào wěi | from start to finish |
| 彻头彻尾phrase | chè tóu chè wěi | lit. from head to tail (idiom) |
| 尾声noun | wěi shēng | coda |
| 阑尾noun | lán wěi | appendix |
| 响尾蛇noun | xiǎng wěi shé | rattlesnake |
| 尾随verb | wěi suí | to tail behind |
| 船尾noun | chuán wěi | back end of a ship |
| 马尾noun | mǎ wěi | ponytail (hairstyle) |
| 燕尾服noun | yàn wěi fú | swallow-tailed coat |
| 收尾verb | shōu wěi | to wind up |
| 尾灯noun | wěi dēng | tail light (on vehicle) |
| 末尾noun | mò wěi | end |
| 尾部noun | wěi bù | back part |
| 凤尾鱼noun | fèng wěi yú | anchovy |
尾 appears in 102 compound words: 30 as the first character, 37 as the last, and 32 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 尾 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (15)
from start to finish; from beginning to end; from A to Z; from first to last; all the way through
to start off strong, but finish weak; to be inconsistent with one's effort
lit. dragon's head, snake's tail (idiom); fig. a strong start but weak finish
to be afraid of the slightest thing; ever fearful and nervous; to be full of misgivings; to be overcautious
lit. head in Wu and tail in Chu (idiom); fig. close together; head-to-tail; one thing starts where the other leaves off
from start to finish; from beginning to end; from A to Z; from first to last; all the way through
to start off strong, but finish weak; to be inconsistent with one's effort
lit. dragon's head, snake's tail (idiom); fig. a strong start but weak finish
to be afraid of the slightest thing; ever fearful and nervous; to be full of misgivings; to be overcautious
Showing 12 of 15 idioms containing 尾.
Example Sentences
老师教我们尾字的发音和笔顺。
lǎo shī jiào wǒ men wěi zì de fā yīn hé bǐ shùn .
The teacher taught us the pronunciation of the final character and the stroke order.
新春长假尾声至 内地客最后冲刺
xīn chūn cháng jiǎ wěi shēng zhì nèi dì kè zuì hòu chōng cì
The end of the Chinese New Year holiday is the last sprint of mainland guests
上水“怪兽仓”两幼犬被困笼内 一狗断尾惹乌蝇 区议员联络仓主无果报警求助
shàng shuǐ guài shòu cāng liǎng yòu quǎn bèi kùn lóng nèi yī gǒu duàn wěi rě wū yíng qū yì yuán lián lào cāng zhǔ wú guǒ bào jǐng qiú zhù
Two puppies were trapped in the cage of the "monster warehouse" in Sheung Shui, and a dog had its tail cut off and provoked flies
8岁男童命丧花莲鲤鱼潭!家属控快艇“船尾浪”酿祸 交通部回应了
8 suì nán tóng mìng sāng huā lián lǐ yú tán ! jiā shǔ kòng kuài tǐng chuán wěi làng niàng huò jiāo tōng bù huí yīng le
An 8-year-old boy died in Hualien Liyu Pond! The family controlled the speedboat's "stern waves" to cause trouble, and the Ministry of Communications responded
上水粉锦公路3狗疑被虐待 1狗尾巴几乎甩脱
shàng shuǐ fěn jǐn gōng lù 3 gǒu yí bèi nüè dài 1 gǒu wěi bā jī hū shuǎi tuō
Sheung Shui Fenjin Highway 3 dogs suspected of being abused 1 dog's tail almost fell off
宁为猫头不为狮尾。
Nìng wèi māo tóu bù wèi shī wěi.
Better be the head of a cat than the tail of a lion.
汤姆和玛莉都绑着马尾。
Tāngmǔ hé mǎ lì dōu bǎng zhe mǎwěi.
Tom and Mary both have ponytails.
萨米把头发绑成马尾。
Sà mǐ bǎtóu fà bǎng chéng mǎwěi.
Sami put his hair in a ponytail.
汤姆猛拉玛丽的马尾。
Tāngmǔ měng lā Mǎlì de mǎwěi.
Tom yanked Mary's ponytail.
我用丝带在头上扎了一个马尾辫。
Wǒ yòng sīdài zài tóushàng zā le yī gè mǎwěibiàn.
I used a ribbon to tie my hair into a ponytail.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is 尾 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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