微

See also: 徵, 徴, and 徹

微	U+5FAE, 微 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5FAE

← 徭

CJK Unified Ideographs

徯 →

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

䉠, 黴, 徽, 徵, 鰴, 幑, 覹, 溦

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 (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

"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 1

Mandarin
(Pinyin): wēi, wéi

(Zhuyin): ㄨㄟ, ㄨㄟˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): mei⁴
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): mì

(Meixian, Guangdong): mi²
Northern Min (KCR): mî
Eastern Min (BUC): mì
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): bî

(Teochew, Peng'im): mui⁵
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/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: mei⁴
  - Yale: mèih
  - Cantonese Pinyin: mei⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: méi⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mei̯²¹/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mì
  - Hakka Romanization System: mi^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: mi²
  - Sinological IPA: /mi¹¹/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: mi²
  - Sinological IPA: /mi¹¹/
Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: mî
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mi³³/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: mì
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mi⁵³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bî
  - Tâi-lô: bî
  - Phofsit Daibuun: bii
  - IPA (Xiamen): /bi²⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /bi²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /bi¹³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /bi²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /bi²³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: mui⁵
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: mûi
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mui⁵⁵/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶mi; ⁶vi
  - MiniDict: mi^去; vi^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³mi; ³vi
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /mi²³/, /vi²³/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: uei²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /u̯e̞i̯¹³/

Middle Chinese: mj+j

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

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*məj/

(Zhengzhang): /*mɯl/

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. * 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

tiny; small; trifling
to decline; to deteriorate
humble; low-ranking
slight; gentle
slightly; gently
^† to not have
- 微管仲，吾其被髮左衽矣。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  微管仲，吾其被发左衽矣。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
  Wēi Guǎn Zhòng, wú qí pīfàzuǒrèn yǐ.
  Without Guan Zhong, we should now be wearing our hair unbound, and the lappets of our coats buttoning on the left side.
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

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (微):

→ Japanese: 微(み) (mi); 微(び) (bi)
→ Korean: 미(微) (mi)
→ Vietnamese: vi (微)

Pronunciation 2

Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): bui

Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bui
  - Tâi-lô: bui
  - Phofsit Daibuun: buy
  - IPA (Xiamen): /bui⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /bui³³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /bui⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Taipei): /bui⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /bui⁴⁴/

Definitions

微 (Southern Min)

(mouth, eyes, etc.) to close slightly
- 看著你啊像酒醉茫茫目睭格微微 [Taiwanese Hokkien, trad. and simp.]
  From: ~1986, 免失志, sung by 陳小雲 (Chen Hsiao-yun), lyrics by 王秀英, composed by 陳宏
  khòaⁿ tio̍h lí--ah chhiūⁿ chiú-chùi bâng-bâng ba̍k-chiu keh bui bui [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]
  You look like you're drunk with hazy eyes in a squinting pattern
a little

Compounds

峇微
微目
沙微 (sa-bui) (Min Nan)

Japanese

Kanji

微

(Jōyō kanji)

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)

Etymology 1

Affix

微(び) • (bi)

tiny; small; minute

Etymology 2

Affix

微(み) • (mi)

tiny; small; minute

Korean

Hanja

微 (eumhun 작을 미 (jageul mi))

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

微 (eumhun 자질구레할 미 (jajilgurehal mi))

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

Vietnamese

Han character

微: Hán Nôm readings: vi

chữ Hán form of vi (“micro-”).

Zhuang

Noun

微

Sawndip form of feiz (“fire”)

微

Translingual

Alternative forms

Han character

Derived characters

References

Chinese

Glyph origin

Etymology

Pronunciation 1

Definitions

Compounds

See also

Descendants

Pronunciation 2

Definitions

Compounds

Japanese

Kanji

Readings

Etymology 1

Affix

Etymology 2

Affix

Korean

Hanja

Vietnamese

Han character

Zhuang

Noun

Wikious

Boobota

Sagapedia

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.
10^-4	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-.