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琐碎 (suǒ suì) — trivial, trifling (of matters or details)

Definition

琐碎 describes small, scattered matters that feel bothersome as a pile — daily tasks, errands, details. 零碎 is more about things being fragmentary in form; 琐碎 emphasizes their annoying triviality.

adjective
trivialtrifling (of matters or details)

Examples

  • 琐碎。
    Bié wèi nà xiē suǒ suì de xiǎo shì shēng qì.
    Don't get angry over those trivial little things.
  • 琐碎。
    Zhè xiē suǒ suì de gōng zuò làng fèi le hěn duō shí jiān.
    These trivial tasks wasted a lot of time.
  • 琐碎。
    Tā tǎo yàn chǔ lǐ suǒ suì de rì cháng shì wù.
    He hates dealing with trivial daily matters.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

琐suǒpetty
碎suìbroken

琐 means petty and 碎 means broken into small bits, so together they describe trivial details.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 琐 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shístone
Sound part声符shēngfú
卒
卒zú碎suì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

碎 pairs 石 (stone) with 卒, which gives the sound; the stone part is tied to the sense of breaking or smashing.

Open 碎 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Good & Bad

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