微

See also: 徵, 徴, and 徹
微 U+5FAE, 微
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5FAE
← 徭
[U+5FAD] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 徯 →
[U+5FAF]

Translingual

Japanese 微
Simplified 微
Traditional 微

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

Chinese

trad. 微
simp. # 微
2nd round simp. 𡵉
alternative forms 㣲
𢕧
𢼸

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 微
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Small seal script
Characters in the same phonetic series (微) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
矀 *mrɯl, *mɯl
覹 *mrɯl
黴 *mrɯl, *mɯːls
薇 *mrɯl, *mɯl
媺 *mrɯlʔ
微 *mɯl
溦 *mɯl
癓 *mɯl
徽 *hmɯl
幑 *hmɯl

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

Rime
Character 微
Reading # 1/1
Initial (聲) 明 (4)
Final (韻) 微 (21)
Tone (調) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Closed
Division (等) III
Fanqie 無非切
Baxter mj+j
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/mʉi/
Pan
Wuyun 		/mʷɨi/
Shao
Rongfen 		/miuəi/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/muj/
Li
Rong 		/miuəi/
Wang
Li 		/mĭwəi/
Bernhard
Karlgren 		/mwe̯i/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		wéi
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		mei4
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 微
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		wēi
Middle
Chinese 		‹ mjɨj ›
Old
Chinese 		/*məj/
English small

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 微
Reading # 1/1
No. 12801
Phonetic
component 		微
Rime
group 		微
Rime
subdivision 		1
Corresponding
MC rime 		微
Old
Chinese 		/*mɯl/

Definitions

微

  1. tiny; small; trifling
  2. to decline; to deteriorate
  3. humble; low-ranking
  4. slight; gentle
  5. slightly; gently
  6. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to not have
  7. [from 19th c., officially from 1981 (PRC), 1985 (ROC)] micro- (SI unit prefix)
  8. (～母) (Chinese linguistics) the Middle Chinese initial of 微 (MC mj+j)
  9. (～日) (telegraphy) the fifth day of a month

Compounds

See also

SI prefix
Last Next
毫 (háo) 微 奈/納 / 奈/纳
Chinese historical small numbers
Value Character Notes
10-1 分 (fèn) Still in use. SI prefix deci-.
10-2 厘 (lí), 釐 (lí) Still in use. SI prefix centi-.
10-3 毫 (háo) Still in use. SI prefix milli-. Also 毛 (máo).
10-4 絲 / 丝 (sī) Rarely used today.
秒 (miǎo) Obsolete, only in ancient texts.
10-5 忽 (hū) Rarely used today.
10-6 微 (wēi) Still in use. SI prefix micro-.
10-7 纖 / 纤 (xiān) Obsolete.
10-8 沙 (shā) Obsolete.
10-9 塵 / 尘 (chén) Obsolete. 納 / 纳 (nà) and 奈 (nài) are used for nano-.
10-10 埃 (āi) Obsolete. In modern use, the character for angstrom (10-10 m).
10-11 渺 (miǎo) Obsolete.
10-12 漠 (mò) Obsolete. 皮 (pí) is used for SI prefix pico-.

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (微):
  • → Japanese: 微(み) (mi); 微(び) (bi)
  • → Korean: 미(微) (mi)
  • → Vietnamese: vi (微)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Definitions

微 (Southern Min)

  1. (mouth, eyes, etc.) to close slightly
  2. a little

Compounds

  • 峇微
  • 微目
  • 沙微 (sa-bui) (Min Nan)

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

Definitions

微

  1. (Zhangzhou and Taiwanese Hokkien) quietly (go somewhere)
  2. (Zhangzhou Hokkien) to hide quietly
  3. (Taiwanese Hokkien) to snatch stealthily; to secretly steal
  4. (Taiwanese Hokkien) to tear off; to cut off (a piece of something)
  5. (Taiwanese Hokkien) to peek; to steal a glance

Japanese

Kanji

微

(Jōyō kanji)

  1. delicate

Readings

  • Go-on: み (mi)
  • Kan-on: び (bi, Jōyō)
  • Kun: かすか (kasuka, 微か)、ちいさい (chīsai, 微さい)、わずか (wazuka)、なかりせば (nakariseba, 微りせば)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
微
び
Grade: S
kan'on

From Middle Chinese 微 (MC mj+j).

Pronunciation

Adjective

微(び) • (bi) -na (adnominal 微(び)な (bi na), adverbial 微(び)に (bi ni))

  1. tiny
Inflection
Inflection of 微
Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形) 微だろ びだろ bi daro
Continuative (連用形) 微で びで bi de
Terminal (終止形) 微だ びだ bi da
Attributive (連体形) 微な びな bi na
Hypothetical (仮定形) 微なら びなら bi nara
Imperative (命令形) 微であれ びであれ bi de are
Key constructions
Informal negative 微ではない
微じゃない 		びではない
びじゃない 		bi de wa nai
bi ja nai
Informal past 微だった びだった bi datta
Informal negative past 微ではなかった
微じゃなかった 		びではなかった
びじゃなかった 		bi de wa nakatta
bi ja nakatta
Formal 微です びです bi desu
Formal negative 微ではありません
微じゃありません 		びではありません
びじゃありません 		bi de wa arimasen
bi ja arimasen
Formal past 微でした びでした bi deshita
Formal negative past 微ではありませんでした
微じゃありませんでした 		びではありませんでした
びじゃありませんでした 		bi de wa arimasen deshita
bi ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive 微で びで bi de
Conditional 微なら（ば） びなら（ば） bi nara (ba)
Provisional 微だったら びだったら bi dattara
Volitional 微だろう びだろう bi darō
Adverbial 微に びに bi ni
Degree 微さ びさ bisa
Classical conjugation of "微なり" (ナリ活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形) 微なら びなら binara
Continuative (連用形) 微に[1]
微なり[2]		 びに
びなり		 bini
binari
Terminal (終止形) 微なり びなり binari
Attributive (連体形) 微なる びなる binaru
Realis (已然形) 微なれ びなれ binare
Imperative (命令形) 微なれ びなれ binare
Key constructions
Negative 微ならず びならず binarazu
Contrasting conjunction 微なれど びなれど binaredo
Causal conjunction 微なれば びなれば binareba
Conditional conjunction 微ならば びならば binaraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge) 微なりき びなりき binariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge) 微なりけり びなりけり binarikeri
Adverbial 微に びに bini

[1]Without auxiliary verb.
[2]With auxiliary verb.

Noun

微(び) • (bi) 

  1. tininess, smallness
  2. detail

Affix

微(び) • (bi) 

  1. tiny, small, minute

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
微
み
Grade: S
goon

From Middle Chinese 微 (MC mj+j).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [mʲi]

Affix

微(み) • (mi) 

  1. tiny, small, minute

Korean

Hanja

微 (eumhun 작을 미 (jageul mi))

  1. hanja form? of 미 (“small, few, little, hidden”)

微 (eumhun 자질구레할 미 (jajilgurehal mi))

  1. hanja form? of 미 (“minor, trivial, trifling”)

Vietnamese

Han character

微: Hán Nôm readings: vi

  1. chữ Hán form of vi (“micro-”)

Zhuang

Noun

微

  1. Sawndip form of feiz (“fire”)
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