小觑 (xiǎo qù) — to look down on, to despise, to underestimate

Definition

A formal/literary verb meaning 'to look down on, to underestimate' — stronger and more written than 轻视. Usually appears in the negative 不可小觑 ('must not be underestimated').

verb
to look down onto despiseto underestimate

Examples

  • 小觑。
    Zhè ge duì shǒu de shí lì bù kě xiǎo qù.
    The strength of this opponent cannot be underestimated.
  • 小觑。
    Wǒ men bù néng xiǎo qù rèn hé yí gè jìng zhēng duì shǒu.
    We cannot underestimate any competitor.
  • ，小觑。
    Tā kàn qǐ lái pǔ tōng, dàn cái néng bù róng xiǎo qù.
    He looks ordinary, but his talent cannot be dismissed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

小xiǎosmall
觑qùlook

小 suggests treating as small, and 觑 means to look; together they express looking down on someone.

Characters in this word

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

  • 八八bāto divide; to separate
  • 丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

Open 小 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 覷; 觑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
見見jiànsee
Sound part声符shēngfú
虛
虛xū覷qù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 覷 pairs 見 (see) with 虛 as a sound component; the simplified 觑 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 觑 →

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