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分毫 (fēn háo) — a tiny bit; an iota

Definition

Literary noun for the tiniest amount or fraction, almost always in set phrases like 不差分毫 ('not off by a hair') or 分毫不差 ('exactly to the dot'). It is more formal and emphatic than everyday 一点儿.

noun
a tiny bitan iota

Examples

  • 分毫。
    Tā zuò shì fēn háo bú chà.
    He does things without the slightest error.
  • 分毫。
    Zhè liǎng gè shù zì bú chà fēn háo.
    These two numbers are not off by a single iota.
  • 分毫。
    Tā bú yuàn yì xī shēng fēn háo lì yì.
    He is unwilling to sacrifice even the tiniest bit of interest.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

分fēntiny unit
毫háohair; tiny unit

分 and 毫 are tiny units, so together they mean an iota.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

The written form 毫 is built from 高 and 毛.

Open 毫 →
Appears in
Quantity & Amount

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