微
wēi
ancient Chinese state near present-day Chongqing
surname Wei; Taiwan pr. [Wei2]; tiny; miniature; slightly; profound; abtruse; to decline; one millionth part of; micro-; Taiwan pr. [wei2]
step (彳) + phonetic cluster (山兀攵) = tiny, subtle
The components 山, 兀, and 攵 together form a phonetic cluster that approximates the sound wēi; 彳 (a step or movement) is the semantic anchor. The original sense was something like moving in a hidden or diminished way, which extended to the general idea of smallness and subtlety.
这只虫子太微小了，肉眼几乎看不见。
zhè zhī chóng zi tài wēi xiǎo le, ròu yǎn jī hū kàn bú jiàn。
This insect is so tiny that the naked eye can barely see it.
她的嘴角微微上扬，好像在笑。
tā de zuǐ jiǎo wēi wēi shàng yáng, hǎo xiàng zài xiào。
The corners of her mouth curved up slightly, as if she were smiling.
Words with 微
微词
wēi cí
veiled criticism
稍微
shāo wēi
a little bit
微观
wēi guān
micro-
微积分
wēi jī fēn
calculus
微微
wēi wēi
slight
微创
wēi chuāng
(of surgery, treatment etc) minimally invasive
微尘
wēi chén
dust
阅微草堂笔记
yuè wēi cǎo táng bǐ jì
Notes on a Minutely Observed Thatched Hut by Ji Yun 紀昀|纪昀[Ji4 Yun2], novel of the supernatural
防微杜渐
fáng wēi dù jiàn
to nip in the bud (idiom)
陆探微
lù tàn wēi
Lu Tanwei (active c. 450-490), one of the Four Great Painters of the Six Dynasties 六朝四大家
电子显微镜
diàn zǐ xiǎn wēi jìng
electron microscope
显微镜
xiǎn wēi jìng
microscope