微粒 (wēi lì) — particle; (physics) corpuscle

Definition

A small, discrete unit of matter — 'particle.' Use it for tiny physical objects like dust or atoms. Distinct from 粒子 (wēi lìzi), which is the technical term in physics and chemistry.

noun

particle(physics) corpuscle

Measure word · 颗

Examples

微粒。
Kōng qì zhōng de wēi lì duì rén tǐ yǒu hài.
Particles in the air are harmful to the human body.
微粒。
Wù lǐ xué jiā yòng xiǎn wēi jìng guān chá wēi lì.
Physicists use microscopes to observe particles.
微粒。
Zhè zhǒng wēi lì de zhí jìng zhǐ yǒu jǐ nà mǐ.
The diameter of this kind of particle is only a few nanometers.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

微wēitiny

粒lìgrain

微 means tiny and 粒 means grain or particle, together naming a very small particle.

Characters in this word

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

𡵂攵微

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.

Open 微 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

米立粒

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

立

立lì粒lì

Same sound today

粒 pairs 米 (rice) with 立, which gives its pronunciation.

Open 粒 →

Appears in