威胁 (wēi xié) — to threaten; to menace in Mandarin

wēi​ xié
“to threaten; to menace”

🔊 Tap to hear it

#994 most common word · HSK 5 · CEFR C1

Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.

Tone breakdown

威胁 is pronounced wēi xié. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.

wēi
first tone (high & flat, ˉ)
xié
second tone (rising, ˊ)

In a sentence

Zhège bìngdú wēi xié rénlèi de shēngmìng.

This virus threatens human life.

Hear it, then say it right

Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio for 威胁 and thousands more words, then scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.

Start free

Frequently asked questions

What does 威胁 mean?+

威胁 (wēi xié) means "to threaten; to menace" in Mandarin Chinese.

How do you pronounce 威胁?+

威胁 is pronounced wēi xié. It uses the tone 1 (high flat), then the tone 2 (rising). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.

How common is 威胁 in Mandarin?+

威胁 is the #994 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.

Where 威胁 fits

HSK 5 · CEFR C1
See the full HSK 5 vocabulary list

Every HSK 5 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.

Words at a similar frequency

Master the tones first

On iPhone, Android and the web

ToneDeck is on the App Store. The trainer works right now.

Download ToneDeck for iPhone or Android today. One account unlocks Pro on both the app and the web. Prefer the browser? The full tone trainer runs at tonedeck.app right now, no install, free to start.

Sign up free and start training

Browse more on the Mandarin vocabulary hub, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.