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微微 (wēi wēi) — slight; faint; gentle

Definition

微微 is the reduplicated 'slightly, faintly' (a smile, a breeze, a chill) — gentler and more literary than 微 alone, and softer than 轻微 (trivial) or 微弱 (feeble/weak).

slightfaintgentle

Examples

  • 微微，。
    Tā wēi wēi yí xiào, méi yǒu shuō huà.
    She gave a faint smile and didn't say anything.
  • 微微。
    Hú miàn shàng wēi wēi fàn qǐ lián yī.
    Ripples gently spread across the lake's surface.
  • 。
    Tā gǎn dào wēi wēi de liáng yì.
    He felt a slight chill.

Origin

Reduplicated word
构词法gòucífǎ
重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

微wēislight
微wēislight

Repeating 微 gives a slight sense.

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.

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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