# 微

| 微 | U+5FAE, &#24494; 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 2824$_0$, 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
### Glyph origin

* Historical forms of the character 微
* Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
* Small seal script
| | 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

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): wēi, wéi
    (Zhuyin): ㄨㄟ, ㄨㄟˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): mei$^4$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): mì
    (Meixian, Guangdong): mi$^2$
* Northern Min (KCR): mî
* Eastern Min (BUC): mì
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): bî
    (Teochew, Peng'im): mui$^5$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^6$mi; $^6$vi
* Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): uei$^2$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: wēi
*** Zhuyin: ㄨㄟ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: wei
*** Wade–Giles: wei$^1$
*** Yale: wēi
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: uei
*** Palladius: вэй (vɛj)
*** Sinological IPA : /weɪ̯⁵⁵/
** (Standard Chinese, standard in Taiwan; dated variant in Mainland)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: wéi
*** Zhuyin: ㄨㄟˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: wéi
*** Wade–Giles: wei$^2$
*** Yale: wéi
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wei
*** Palladius: вэй (vɛj)
*** Sinological IPA : /weɪ̯³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: mei$^4$
*** Yale: mèih
*** Cantonese Pinyin: mei$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: méi$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /mei̯²¹/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mì
*** Hakka Romanization System: mi$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: mi$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /mi¹¹/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: mi$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /mi¹¹/
* Northern Min
** (Jian'ou)
*** Kienning Colloquial Romanized: mî
*** Sinological IPA : /mi³³/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: mì
*** Sinological IPA : /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: mui$^5$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: mûi
*** Sinological IPA : /mui⁵⁵/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^6$mi; $^6$vi
*** MiniDict: mi$^去$; vi$^去$
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^3$mi; $^3$vi
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /mi²³/, /vi²³/
* Xiang
** (Changsha)
*** Wiktionary: uei$^2$
*** Sinological IPA : /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 | mei$^4$ |
* 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. *[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
* tiny; small; trifling
* to decline; to deteriorate
* humble; low-ranking
* slight; gentle
* slightly; gently
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to not have
    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.
* [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
* 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 (báibì-wēixiá)
* 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

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-. |

#### Descendants

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

### Etymology 2
#### Pronunciation

* 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
    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 [your] hazy eyes in a squinting pattern
* a little

#### 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/

#### 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

## Japanese
### Kanji

(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”)