微调 (wēi diào) — fine-tuning; small adjustments

Definition

noun
fine-tuningsmall adjustments

Examples

  • 微调。
    Zhè ge ruǎn jiàn xū yào yí cì wēi diào.
    This software needs a fine-tuning.
  • ，微调。
    Fāng àn yǐ jīng jī běn què dìng, zhī xū yào yì xiē wēi diào.
    The plan is basically confirmed; it only needs some fine-tuning.
  • 微调。
    Cái feng duì xī zhuāng zuò le yì diǎn wēi diào.
    The tailor made a small adjustment to the suit.

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
调tiáoadjustment

微 means tiny and 调 adjustment, together fine-tuning.

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 調; 调 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
周
周zhōu調tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 調 pairs 言 (speech) with 周, which shows how it was pronounced. The simplified 调 is a later shorthand.

Open 调 →

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