微 (wēi) — slightly; a little bit
Definition
A literary/emphatic 'slightly' used before verbs or adjectives — stronger than 稍微 and 略微, more common in writing than speech. Often appears in set phrases like 微感 / 微微一笑.
adverb
slightlya little bit
Examples
- ，微。Tā tīng le zhī hòu, wēi gǎn bù hǎo yì si.After hearing it, he felt a little embarrassed.
- 微，微，？Zhè dào cài wēi là, nǐ wēi là, hái néng chī ma?This dish is slightly spicy; can you still eat it?
- 微，。Tā wēi tàn le yì kǒu qì, méi yǒu shuō huà.She gave a slight sigh and didn't speak.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.
- 𡵂美měi
- 攵攴pūhand with tool
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.
Appears in
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