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微不足道 (wēi bù zú dào) — too trivial to mention; insignificant; negligible

Definition

A set phrase meaning 'too trivial to mention' — used for things so small they don't deserve attention, stronger than 无关紧要. Usually modifying problems, details, or individual effort; 渺小 and 区区 describe the thing itself being small.

phrase
too trivial to mentioninsignificantnegligible

Examples

  • 微不足道，。
    Zhè xiē wèn tí dōu wēi bù zú dào, bié tài dān xīn.
    These problems are all insignificant; don't worry too much.
  • 微不足道。
    Gè rén de dé shī zài lì shǐ cháng hé zhōng wēi bù zú dào.
    Personal gains and losses are insignificant in the long river of history.
  • 微不足道，。
    Zhè xiē xì jié dōu wēi bù zú dào, wǒ men bú bì làng fèi shí jiān.
    These details are all negligible; we don't need to waste time.

Origin

Characters in this word

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

足 was originally drawn as a leg.

Open 足 →

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
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Idioms & Set PhrasesGood & Bad

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