Dictionary › 微

微

wēi

HSK 4 Character

What 微 means

1. tiny
2. miniature
3. slightly
4. profound
5. abtruse
6. to decline
7. one millionth part of
8. micro-
9. Taiwan pr. wéi

Other readings

微 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• Wēisurname Wei; ancient Chinese state near present-day Chongqing; Taiwan pr. Wéi

Example sentences

• 保持微笑。
  Keep on smiling.
• 防微杜渐。
  A stitch in time saves nine.
• 不要微笑。
  Don't smile.
• 微风习习。
  A gentle breeze is blowing.
• 迈克微笑了。
  Mike smiled.
• 你还在微笑。
  You're still smiling.

Words starting with 微

• 微笑wēi xiàosmile; to smile
• 微不足道wēi bù zú dào(idiom) negligible; insignificant
• 微观wēi guānmicro-; subatomic
• 微微wēi wēislight; faint; humble
• 微软Wēi ruǎnMicrosoft Corporation
• 微弱wēi ruòweak; faint; feeble
• 微妙wēi miàosubtle
• 微风wēi fēngbreeze; light wind
• 微型wēi xíngminiature; micro-; tiny
• 微波炉wēi bō lúmicrowave oven
• 微小wēi xiǎominute (i.e. extremely small); infinitesimal
• 微薄wēi bóscanty; meager
• 微生物wēi shēng wùmicroorganism
• 微波wēi bōripple; microwave
• 微乎其微wēi hū qí wēia tiny bit; very little; next to nothing (idiom)
• 微积分wēi jī fēncalculus (branch of mathematics)
• 微机wēi jīmicro (computer)
• 微光wēi guāngglimmer
• 微软公司Wēi ruǎn Gōng sīMicrosoft Corporation
• 微量元素wēi liàng yuán sùtrace element (chemistry)
• 微电子wēi diàn zǐmicroelectronics
• 微词wēi cíveiled criticism
• 微服私访wēi fú sī fǎngto mingle with the people incognito
• 微量wēi liànga smidgen; minute; micro-

Words containing 微

• 稍微shāo wēia little bit
• 略微lüè wēia little bit; slightly
• 无微不至wú wēi bù zhìin every possible way (idiom); meticulous
• 轻微qīng wēislight; light; trivial
• 细微xì wēitiny; minute; fine
• 卑微bēi wēilowly; humble
• 显微镜xiǎn wēi jìngmicroscope
• 式微shì wēi(literary) to decline; to wane; title of a section in the Book of Songs 诗经
• 低微dī wēimeager (wages); humble (social status); feeble (voice)
• 些微xiē wēislight; minor; small; slightly
• 入微rù wēidown to the smallest detail; thoroughgoing; fine and detailed
• 可微kě wēidifferentiable (math.)
• 官微guān wēiofficial (verified) account on Weibo 微博
• 几微jī wēitiny; infinitesimal
• 精微jīng wēisubtle; profound
• 显微xiǎn wēimicro-; microscopic; to make the minute visible
• 中微子zhōng wēi zǐ(particle physics) neutrino
• 显微学xiǎn wēi xuémicroscopy
• 人微言轻rén wēi yán qīng(idiom) what lowly people think counts for little
• 具体而微jù tǐ ér wēiminiature; scaled-down; forming a microcosm
• 本小利微běn xiǎo lì wēi(of a small business) to have very little capital and very modest profits
• 见微知著jiàn wēi zhī zhù(idiom) to examine tiny clues to know general trends…
• 常微分方程cháng wēi fēn fāng chéngordinary differential equation (ODE)
• 体贴入微tǐ tiē rù wēito show every possible consideration (idiom); meticulous care

Characters built on 山

These share the phonetic component 山 (shān), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 巍wēilofty; towering; Taiwan pr. wéi
• 嵋méiused in 峨嵋
• 嵬wéirocky

Characters that look like 微

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 搬bānto move (i.e. relocate oneself); to move (sth relatively heavy or bulky); to shift
• 辍chuòto stop (before completion); to cease; to suspend
• 辊gǔnroller
• 撇piēto cast away; to fling aside
• 踉liángused in 跳踉
• 裱biǎoto hang (paper); to mount (painting)

Sounds the same

Read wēi, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 危danger; to endanger; Taiwan pr. wéi
• 威power; might; prestige
• 薇Osmunda regalis, a species of fern; Taiwan pr. wéi
• 偎to cuddle
• 煨to simmer; to roast in ashes
• 委used in 委蛇
• 巍lofty; towering; Taiwan pr. wéi
• 崴high, lofty; precipitous
• 葳luxuriant
• 隈bay; cove
• 逶used in 逶迤
• 揻(dialect) to bend (a long and thin object)