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微乎其微 (wēi hū qí wēi) — extremely small; negligible; next to nothing

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'extremely small / negligible' — emphasizes that something is so tiny it barely matters. Used in writing for risks, chances, or impact.

idiom
extremely smallnegligiblenext to nothing

Examples

  • 微乎其微。
    Zhè zhǒng ái zhèng de fù fā jī lǜ wēi hū qí wēi.
    The recurrence rate for this type of cancer is extremely low.
  • 微乎其微，。
    Tā fàn de cuò wù wēi hū qí wēi, bú bì tài zài yì.
    The mistake he made is negligible; no need to take it too seriously.
  • 微乎其微。
    Liǎng guó zhī jiān de mào yì zhēng duān yǐng xiǎng wēi hū qí wēi.
    The impact of the trade dispute between the two countries is negligible.

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 →

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

  • 丂丂kǎobranch

The old 乎 paired an element for wind or air with 丂, a branch used as a sound part, and was the original form of the word for 'to call; to cry'.

Open 乎 →

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

The modern form 其 comes from an early drawing of a basket, with a stand added underneath.

Open 其 →

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
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