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迷你 (mí nǐ) — (attributive adjective) mini, miniature, tiny (often with a cute or compact connotation)

Definition

A loanword (from English "mini-") for 'mini, miniature, tiny' — used as a pre-modifier before a noun, with a stylish or cute flavor rather than just 'small'.

adjective
(attributive adjective) miniminiaturetiny (often with a cute or compact connotation)

Examples

  • 。
    Tā jīn tiān chuān le yì tiáo mí nǐ qún.
    She wore a miniskirt today.
  • 迷你。
    Zhè tái mí nǐ diàn nǎo hěn fāng biàn xié dài.
    This mini computer is very convenient to carry.
  • 迷你，。
    Tā yǎng le yì zhī mí nǐ gǒu, fēi cháng kě ài.
    He keeps a tiny dog, very cute.

Origin

Single-morpheme word
构词法gòucífǎ
音译yīnyìTransliteration

The characters spell the sound of a foreign word; their individual meanings play no part.

迷mí
你nǐ

The characters 迷 and 你 carry no meaning of their own here; together they spell the foreign sound for mini.

Sound-only characters

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
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
米
米mǐ迷mí
Same sound today

迷 uses 辵, the walking part, and 米, which gives the sound.

Open 迷 →

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
尔
尔ěr你nǐ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 亻 is a person, and the right part 尔 supplies the sound.

Open 你 →
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