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轻微 (qīng wēi) — slight, light, trivial

Definition

轻微 describes small degree of something negative (pain, damage, difference) — milder than 薄 ('thin / weak') which describes physical thinness or emotional weight. More serious than 微微, which is gentler.

adjective
slightlighttrivial

Examples

  • 轻微。
    Zhè cì shì gù zhī zào chéng le qīng wēi de sǔn shī.
    This accident only caused slight damage.
  • 轻微，。
    Tā de bìng qíng hěn qīng wēi, bù xū yào zhù yuàn.
    His condition is mild; he doesn't need to be hospitalized.
  • 轻微。
    Zhè liǎng kuǎn shǒu jī zhǐ yǒu qīng wēi de chā bié.
    These two phone models have only a slight difference.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

轻qīnglight
微wēismall

轻 means light and 微 means small, together describing something slight.

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 輕; 轻 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jūcarriage
Sound part声符shēngfú
巠
巠jīng輕qīng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 輕 pairs 車, a carriage, with 巠 to give the sound; it originally named a light carriage. The simplified 轻 is only a later shorthand.

Open 轻 →

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

The old form showed 𡵂 (a variant of 美, a person with long hair) and 攵 (a hand with a tool) splitting or combing hairs, hence minute; 微 later added 彳 to emphasize action.

Open 微 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Size & Dimension

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