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细小 (xì xiǎo) — very small; tiny; fine; trivial; minor

Definition

An adjective for things that are very small in size or very minor in importance — stronger than 小 and more emphatic than 细微. Use for fine physical details (dust, changes) as well as trivial matters.

adjective
very smalltinyfinetrivialminor

Examples

  • 细小。
    Zhè zhǒng xì xiǎo de huī chén hěn nán qīng lǐ.
    This kind of tiny dust is hard to clean.
  • 细小。
    Bié wèi zhè xiē xì xiǎo de shì qing fán nǎo.
    Don't worry about these trivial matters.
  • 细小。
    Tā zhù yì dào le huà zhōng měi yí gè xì xiǎo de biàn huà.
    He noticed every tiny change in the painting.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

细xìfine
小xiǎosmall

细小 joins 细 (fine) and 小 (small) to mean very tiny or minor.

Characters in this word

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 細; 细 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
囟
囟xìn細xì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 細 pairs 糸, silk or thread, with 囟 for the sound. The simplified 细 is a later shorthand, and the old right part changed shape.

Open 细 →

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 →
Appears in
Size & Dimension

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