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稍微 (shāo wēi) — slightly; a little bit; a bit

Definition

稍微 means 'slightly, a little' and modifies adjectives or verbs (slightly salty, wait a moment). It is more formal and written than the spoken 一点儿 or 有点儿.

adverb
slightlya little bita bit

Examples

  • 稍微。
    Qǐng shāo wēi děng yí xià.
    Please wait a moment (just a little).
  • 稍微。
    Zhè dào cài shāo wēi xián le yì diǎn r.
    This dish is a little bit salty.
  • 稍微？
    Nǐ néng shāo wēi xiǎo diǎn shēng shuō huà ma?
    Can you speak a little bit more quietly?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

稍shāoslightly
微wēislight

Both 稍 and 微 mean slight, so together they soften the degree as a little bit.

Characters in this word

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
禾禾hé
Sound part声符shēngfú
肖
肖xiào稍shāo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

稍 combines 禾 and 肖: 禾 is the part tied to the character's meaning, and 肖 is the part tied to its sound.

Open 稍 →

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 →

Grammar

Appears in
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