区区 (qū qū) — insignificant; trifling; mere

Definition

Literary/formal adjective meaning 'trifling, mere' — used to downplay a small amount or minor matter, often with a dismissive or self-deprecating tone. Stronger than 无关紧要 and more rhetorical than 琐碎, which describes messy detail.

adjective

insignificanttriflingmere

Examples

区区，。
qū qū Yí gè cuò wù, bú yòng tài dān xīn.
It's just a minor mistake; don't worry too much.
区区，。
Tā kào qū qū gōng zī shēng huó, hěn jié jiǎn.
He lives on a meager salary and is very frugal.
区区，。
qū qū Xiǎo shì, hé zú guà chǐ.
Such a trivial matter is not worth mentioning.

Origin

Single-morpheme word

构词法gòucífǎ

叠音diéyīnRepeated syllable

One syllable written twice as a single unit of meaning; neither half stands alone.

区qū

The two 区 carry no independent meaning here; together they express something trifling or mere.

Sound-only characters

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 區; 区 is its simplified writing.

匸匸xì
品品pǐn

The traditional form 區 is made from 匸 and 品; the simplified 区 is a shorthand.

Open 区 →