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From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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Translingual
Alternative forms
Note that the middle component is written as 𡵂 (⿳山一几) in simplified Chinese and Korean. In Japanese, the middle component is written as 𡵉 (⿱山兀). In traditional Chinese, the middle component is written (⿳山一儿), as found in the Kangxi dictionary.
Han character
微 (Kangxi radical 60, 彳+10, 13 strokes, cangjie input 竹人山弓大 (HOUNK) or 竹人山山大 (HOUUK), four-corner 28240, composition ⿰彳𢼸(GK) or ⿰彳𣁋(TJV))
Derived characters
References
- Kangxi Dictionary: page 370, character 12
- Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 10203
- Dae Jaweon: page 696, character 15
- Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 837, character 10
- Unihan data for U+5FAE
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Chinese
Glyph origin
In oracle bone script, it may be written as 𡵂 or 𢼸.
The former is a variant of 美 (OC *mriʔ), borrowed for sound, pictogram (象形) of a person with long hair.
The latter an ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意) and phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *mɯl): phonetic 𡵂 (OC *mriʔ) + semantic 攵 (“hand with tool”) – splitting or combing hairs; minute. Possibly the original form of 媺 (OC *mrɯlʔ).
彳 (OC *tʰeɡ) was added to emphasize action to create the modern form.
Etymology 1
- "not; no"
- The negative root *m + 惟 (OC *ɢʷi, “to be”) (Pulleybank, 1995).
- "small"
- From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *mwəj (“fine; delicate”) (STEDT). Cognate with Burmese မွေ့ (mwe., “delicate”).
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- Cantonese (Jyutping): mei4
- Hakka
- Jin (Wiktionary): vei1
- Northern Min (KCR): mî
- Eastern Min (BUC): mì
- Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): bi2
- Southern Min
- Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): 6mi; 6vi
- Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): uei2
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland)+
- Hanyu Pinyin: wēi
- Zhuyin: ㄨㄟ
- Tongyong Pinyin: wei
- Wade–Giles: wei1
- Yale: wēi
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: uei
- Palladius: вэй (vɛj)
- Sinological IPA (key): /weɪ̯⁵⁵/
- (Standard Chinese, standard in Taiwan; dated variant in Mainland)+
- Hanyu Pinyin: wéi
- Zhuyin: ㄨㄟˊ
- Tongyong Pinyin: wéi
- Wade–Giles: wei2
- Yale: wéi
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wei
- Palladius: вэй (vɛj)
- Sinological IPA (key): /weɪ̯³⁵/
- (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland)+
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong–Macau)
- Jyutping: mei4
- Yale: mèih
- Cantonese Pinyin: mei4
- Guangdong Romanization: méi4
- Sinological IPA (key): /mei̯²¹/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong–Macau)
- Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
- Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mì
- Hakka Romanization System: miˇ
- Hagfa Pinyim: mi2
- Sinological IPA: /mi¹¹/
- (Meixian)
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
- Jin
- (Taiyuan)+
- Wiktionary: vei1
- Sinological IPA (old-style): /vei¹¹/
- (Taiyuan)+
- Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
- Kienning Colloquial Romanized: mî
- Sinological IPA (key): /mi³³/
- (Jian'ou)
- Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
- Bàng-uâ-cê: mì
- Sinological IPA (key): /mi⁵³/
- (Fuzhou)
- Puxian Min
- (Putian)
- Pouseng Ping'ing: bi2
- Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: bí
- Sinological IPA (key): /pi¹³/
- (Xianyou)
- Pouseng Ping'ing: bi2
- Sinological IPA (key): /pi²⁴/
- (Putian)
- Southern Min
- Wu
- Xiang
- (Changsha)
- Wiktionary: uei2
- Sinological IPA (key): /u̯e̞i̯¹³/
- (Changsha)
- Middle Chinese: mj+j
- Old Chinese
- (Baxter–Sagart): /*məj/
- (Zhengzhang): /*mɯl/
Definitions
微
- tiny; small; trifling
- to decline; to deteriorate
- humble; low-ranking
- slight; gentle
- slightly; gently
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to not have
- 微管仲，吾其被髮左衽矣。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
- From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Wēi Guǎn Zhòng, wú qí pīfàzuǒrèn yǐ. [Pinyin]
- Without Guan Zhong, we should now be wearing our hair unbound, and the lappets of our coats buttoning on the left side.
微管仲，吾其被发左衽矣。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]
- [from 19th c., officially from 1981 (PRC), 1985 (ROC)] micro- (SI unit prefix)
- (～母) (Chinese linguistics) the Middle Chinese initial of 微 (MC mj+j)
- (～日) (telegraphy) the fifth day of a month
Compounds
- 些微 (xiēwēi)
- 人微權輕 / 人微权轻
- 人微言輕 / 人微言轻 (rénwēiyánqīng)
- 以微知著
- 低微 (dīwēi)
- 側微 / 侧微
- 元微之
- 入微 (rùwēi)
- 兵少將微 / 兵少将微
- 兵微將寡 / 兵微将寡 (bīngwēijiàngguǎ)
- 具體而微 / 具体而微
- 凌波微步
- 刻畫入微 / 刻画入微
- 力微任重
- 功微德薄 (gōngwēidébó)
- 卑微 (bēiwēi)
- 可微 (kěwēi)
- 名微德薄
- 太微
- 寒微 (hánwēi)
- 寒微簡陋 / 寒微简陋
- 寖微寖滅 / 寖微寖灭
- 希微
- 幽微
- 幾微 / 几微
- 式微 (shìwēi)
- 微不足道 (wēibùzúdào)
- 微中子 (wēizhōngzǐ)
- 微乎其微 (wēihūqíwēi)
- 微信 (Wēixìn)
- 微分 (wēifēn)
- 微分學 / 微分学
- 微博 (wēibó)
- 微卷
- 微型 (wēixíng)
- 微塵 / 微尘 (wēichén)
- 微妙 (wēimiào)
- 微子 (wēizǐ)
- 微小 (wēixiǎo)
- 微弱 (wēiruò)
- 微微 (wēiwēi)
- 微忱
- 微息
- 微恙 (wēiyàng)
- 微情
- 微文
- 微文深詆 / 微文深诋
- 微時 / 微时
- 微晶 (wēijīng)
- 微暈 / 微晕
- 微曦
- 微服 (wēifú)
- 微末 (wēimò)
- 微波 (wēibō)
- 微渺
- 微獨 / 微独
- 微生物 (wēishēngwù)
- 微眇
- 微積分 / 微积分 (wēijīfēn)
- 微笑 (wēixiào)
- 微米 (wēimǐ)
- 微粒 (wēilì)
- 微細 / 微细 (wēixì)
- 微纖 / 微纤
- 微脈 / 微脉
- 微臣 (wēichén)
- 微茫 (wēimáng)
- 微薄 (wēibó)
- 微處理器 / 微处理器 (wēichǔlǐqì)
- 微處理機 / 微处理机 (wēichǔlǐjī)
- 微血管
- 微行 (wēixíng)
- 微言 (wēiyán)
- 微詞 / 微词 (wēicí)
- 微賤 / 微贱 (wēijiàn)
- 微軟 / 微软
- 微辭 / 微辞 (wēicí)
- 微醺 (wēixūn)
- 微量 (wēiliàng)
- 微雕
- 微電腦 / 微电脑 (wēidiànnǎo)
- 微風 / 微风 (wēifēng)
- 忽微
- 慎小謹微 / 慎小谨微
- 慎微
- 才微智淺 / 才微智浅
- 才秀人微
- 拈花微笑
- 探賾索微 / 探赜索微
- 敬小慎微
- 星際微塵 / 星际微尘
- 本小利微 (běnxiǎolìwēi)
- 杜微慎防
- 杜漸防微 / 杜渐防微
- 杜漸除微 / 杜渐除微
- 梭微子
- 梨頰微渦 / 梨颊微涡
- 毚微
- 波微
- 洞燭入微 / 洞烛入微
- 浸微
- 浸微浸消
- 深微
- 清謳微吟 / 清讴微吟
- 滄海微塵 / 沧海微尘
- 漸趨式微 / 渐趋式微
- 火熹微
- 無微不至 / 无微不至 (wúwēibùzhì)
- 熹微 (xīwēi)
- 爝火微光
- 略微 (lüèwēi)
- 白玉微瑕
- 白玉微疵
- 白璧微瑕 (báibìwēixiá)
- 睹微知著 (dǔwēizhīzhù)
- 知微知彰
- 破顏微笑 / 破颜微笑
- 視微知著 / 视微知著
- 福生于微
- 禍起隱微 / 祸起隐微
- 稀微 (hi-bî) (Min Nan)
- 稍微 (shāowēi)
- 積微成著 / 积微成著
- 窮幽極微 / 穷幽极微
- 窮纖入微 / 穷纤入微
- 笑微微 (chhiò-bi-bi) (Min Nan)
- 精微 (jīngwēi)
- 糧寡兵微 / 粮寡兵微
- 紫微 (zǐwēi)
- 細微 / 细微 (xìwēi)
- 細微末節 / 细微末节 (xìwēimòjié)
- 縮影微捲 / 缩影微卷
- 縮微 / 缩微
- 纖微 / 纤微
- 翠微 (cuìwēi)
- 翠微山
- 興微繼絕 / 兴微继绝
- 蟲沙微類 / 虫沙微类
- 蠅頭微利 / 蝇头微利
- 衰微 (shuāiwēi)
- 見微知萌 / 见微知萌
- 見微知著 / 见微知著 (jiànwēizhīzhù)
- 言微旨遠 / 言微旨远
- 談言微中 / 谈言微中
- 謹小慎微 / 谨小慎微 (jǐnxiǎoshènwēi)
- 身輕言微 / 身轻言微 (shēnqīngyánwēi)
- 輕微 / 轻微 (qīngwēi)
- 辭微旨遠 / 辞微旨远
- 通幽洞微
- 造微入妙
- 量小力微
- 鉤隱抉微 / 钩隐抉微
- 闡微 / 阐微
- 防微慮遠 / 防微虑远
- 防微杜漸 / 防微杜渐 (fángwēidùjiàn)
- 隱微 / 隐微
- 霏微 (fēiwēi)
- 音韻闡微 / 音韵阐微
- 顯微手術 / 显微手术 (xiǎnwēi shǒushù)
- 顯微書影 / 显微书影
- 顯微照相 / 显微照相
- 顯微鏡 / 显微镜 (xiǎnwēijìng)
- 風微浪穩 / 风微浪稳
- 體貼入微 / 体贴入微 (tǐtiērùwēi)
See also
Descendants
Etymology 2
Pronunciation
- Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): bui
Definitions
微 (Southern Min)
Compounds
- 峇微
- 微目
- 沙微 (sa-bui) (Min Nan)
Etymology 3
Pronunciation
- Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): bi / boe
- Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bi
- Tâi-lô: bi
- Phofsit Daibuun: by
- IPA (Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /bi⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: boe
- Tâi-lô: bue
- Phofsit Daibuun: boef
- IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /bue⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
Definitions
微
- (Zhangzhou and Taiwanese Hokkien) quietly (go somewhere)
- (Zhangzhou Hokkien) to hide quietly
- (Taiwanese Hokkien) to snatch stealthily; to secretly steal
- (Taiwanese Hokkien) to tear off; to cut off (a piece of something)
- (Taiwanese Hokkien) to peek; to steal a glance
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Japanese
Kanji
微
- delicate
Readings
Etymology 1
Affix
Etymology 2
Affix
Korean
Hanja
Vietnamese
Han character
Zhuang
Noun
微
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