The Asymmetry of An and Wei, Antonyms in Chinese

An (safe安) and wei (dangerous危) form a pair of antonyms, but they exhibit asymmetry in their usage. Through a detailed investigation, this asymmetry is found to manifest in four aspects: senses, lexicology, syntax, and semantic fields. By analyzing the asymmetrical characteristics of an safe and wei dangerous, this study aims to elucidate the reasons behind this asymmetry, with the hope of contributing to the field of teaching Chinese as a foreign language, dictionary compilation related to Chinese, and the use of antonyms in Chinese.