Phone and Attention Interjection 喂 in Chinese
喂
喂 is an independent interjection used to open telephone contact or attract someone's attention. The phone greeting is commonly pronounced wéi, while attention-getting uses often sound wèi. It forms a contextual utterance rather than a normal sentence constituent, and its social force depends strongly on intonation and the relationship between speakers.
Published August 2, 2026
Reviewed August 2, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
喂，+ Utterance / Phone opening: 喂？
Read the structure
喂 is an independent interjection used to open telephone contact or attract someone's attention. The phone greeting is commonly pronounced wéi, while attention-getting uses often sound wèi. It forms a contextual utterance rather than a normal sentence constituent, and its social force depends strongly on intonation and the relationship between speakers. Keep the model 喂，+ Utterance / Phone opening: 喂？ visible while you compare each sentence.
喂，是王老师吗？
Hello, is this Teacher Wang?
Choose the right context
Open or check a telephone connection. Attract someone's immediate attention. Use intonation to signal contact rather than propositional content.
喂，您找哪位？
Hello, whom are you looking for?
Respect the boundary
Do not insert 喂 inside a person's name or title. Do not reverse the words of the question following 喂. Do not assume an attention-getting 喂 is equally polite in every relationship.
王老师吗，喂是？
(Teacher Wang question, hello is?)
Repair the pattern
The phone question is scrambled: 喂 opens contact, after which the complete yes-no question keeps its normal order. The question word is separated from its phrase: 哪位 is an intact interrogative noun phrase and follows the verb 找.
喂，是王老师吗？
Use the repaired structure without changing the intended meaning.
02 / MAP
Read the Sentence
Read from left to right and notice the job performed by each part. The labels describe this example; they are not a rule that every Chinese sentence must copy.
喂，是王老师吗？
Hello, is this Teacher Wang?
喂
喂，
This part occupies the 喂， position in the model pattern.
，
Utterance / Phone opening: 喂？
This part occupies the Utterance / Phone opening: 喂？ position in the model pattern.
是
喂，
This part occupies the 喂， position in the model pattern.
王
Utterance / Phone opening: 喂？
This part occupies the Utterance / Phone opening: 喂？ position in the model pattern.
老师
喂，
This part occupies the 喂， position in the model pattern.
吗
Utterance / Phone opening: 喂？
This part occupies the Utterance / Phone opening: 喂？ position in the model pattern.
03 / EXAMPLES
Examples You Can Reuse
Keep the structure stable while changing the people, objects, times, or conditions. Pinyin is shown as reading support; use the Chinese sentence and translation to confirm the grammar relationship.
喂，是王老师吗？
Hello, is this Teacher Wang?
喂，您找哪位？
Hello, whom are you looking for?
喂，小心车！
Hey, watch out for the car!
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- Open or check a telephone connection.
- Attract someone's immediate attention.
- Use intonation to signal contact rather than propositional content.
Do not use it when
- Do not insert 喂 inside a person's name or title.
- Do not reverse the words of the question following 喂.
- Do not assume an attention-getting 喂 is equally polite in every relationship.
05 / REPAIR
Compare Right and Wrong
Compare the smallest meaningful change. Each explanation identifies a placement, scope, form, or clause relationship instead of treating the whole sentence as one undifferentiated mistake.
王老师吗，喂是？
喂，是王老师吗？
The phone question is scrambled
喂 opens contact, after which the complete yes-no question keeps its normal order.
喂，您哪找位？
喂，您找哪位？
The question word is separated from its phrase
哪位 is an intact interrogative noun phrase and follows the verb 找.
王老师吗，喂是？
喂 opens contact, after which the complete yes-no question keeps its normal order.
喂，您哪找位？
哪位 is an intact interrogative noun phrase and follows the verb 找.
06 / PRACTICE
Practice the Grammar Point
Complete three short tasks in order: judge the pattern, repair a common error, and build the sentence. Feedback is fixed and reviewed, so these activities do not use a checker allowance.
1. Judge the sentence
2. Choose the correction
3. Build the sentence
Build a complete sentence with 喂.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 喂. Your draft moves to the checker through this browser session, selects this grammar point as the first review focus, and waits for you to submit.
08 / QUESTIONS
Phone and Attention Interjection 喂 Questions
Why are there two pronunciations?
The telephone greeting is commonly wéi, while a direct attention call is often wèi. Actual intonation varies by context.
Is 喂 a complete sentence?
It is an independent interjectional utterance. It can stand alone because the interaction supplies its function.
09 / SOURCES
Sources and Review Notes
These references support different parts of the lesson. GF0025-2021 supports level placement only; professional grammar works support the explanation, limits, examples, and cross-checks. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021)
Ministry of Education and State Language Commission · Ministry of Education of the PRC · 2021
Locator: Appendix A, Level 2 item 【二36】, PDF p. 190
Places telephone-opening 喂 at Level 2 with call-and-response examples.
Official source现代汉语叹词的互动功能初探
张瑞祥、方梅 · 辞书研究 · 2024
Locator: pp. 36–38, Table 1 and interaction-function discussion
Classifies 喂 as an attention and contact interjection whose interpretation depends on interaction.
Official sourceLaoshi Chinese Grammar Reference
Laoshi editorial team · Laoshi · 2026
Locator: Using 喂, phone and attention sections
Distinguishes the common phone and attention pronunciations and usage contexts.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Easy to confuse
啊Initial Interjection 啊
Both are standalone interjections, while 喂 opens contact and 啊 typically reacts to information.
Continue learning
非主谓句Non-Subject-Predicate Sentences
A standalone 喂 forms a contextual utterance without the internal structure of an ordinary clause.
Compare
疑问句四类Four Basic Chinese Question Types
喂 can precede a phone question but remains outside the question's grammatical pattern.
Easy to confuse
呢The Particle 呢 (ne)
Independent 喂 opens contact, while sentence-final 呢 attaches to a clause or contextual topic.
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Easy to confuse
Both are standalone interjections, while 喂 opens contact and 啊 typically reacts to information.