围墙

• Pinyin: wéi qiáng
• Hanzi breakdown: 围 = 囗 (enclosure) + 韦 (phonetic) — to surround, encircle; 墙 = 土 (earth) + 嗇 (phonetic) — a wall

Meaning

Enclosure wall; surrounding wall; perimeter wall. The wall that encloses a courtyard, compound, school, factory, or property.

围墙 refers specifically to the wall enclosing a compound or property — distinct from 墙 (a wall in general), 城墙 (city wall), or 隔墙 (partition wall). Common in school, factory, residential compound, and institutional contexts. Metaphorically, 围墙 can describe invisible barriers — social, cultural, or institutional — that divide or confine people.

Examples

1. 校园的围墙上爬满了常青藤，到了秋天叶子变红，景色格外好看。 The school's perimeter wall is covered in ivy — when the leaves turn red in autumn, the view is particularly beautiful.
2. 这家工厂将原有的围墙拆掉，改建成透明的玻璃护栏，以展示开放包容的企业形象。 The factory demolished its original enclosure wall and replaced it with a transparent glass barrier to project a corporate image of openness and inclusiveness.
3. 城市化的快速推进使许多传统四合院的围墙逐渐消失，取而代之的是现代小区的铁艺栅栏。 Rapid urbanisation has caused the surrounding walls of many traditional courtyard houses to gradually disappear, replaced by the wrought-iron railings of modern residential compounds.

Usage Guide

Context: architecture, everyday, urban

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 小区的围墙年久失修，物业已将其列入今年的维修计划。(The residential compound's perimeter wall has fallen into disrepair — the property management has added it to this year's maintenance schedule.)
• 打通围墙、拆除隔阂，是这座城市推进街区更新的重要举措之一。(Breaking down enclosure walls and removing barriers is one of the key measures in this city's neighbourhood renewal drive.)

Don't Say

• 将围墙与墙、隔墙混用 — 围墙 specifically describes a wall that encloses the perimeter of a compound; 隔墙 is an interior partition wall; 墙 is the generic term for any wall

Origin & History

Compound of 围 (to surround, encircle — 囗 enclosure + 韦 phonetic) + 墙 (a wall built of earth or brick — 土 earth + 嗇 phonetic). Together: a wall that encircles/encloses a space.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal