轻微

• Pinyin: qīng wēi
• Hanzi breakdown: 轻 = 车 + 圣 (light/minor); 微 = 彳 + 山 + 攵 (minute/subtle/tiny)

Meaning

Slight; minor; not serious. Describes a small degree of something, especially damage, injury, or change.

Used across medical, legal, and everyday contexts to describe something of low severity or impact. Common collocations include 轻微损伤 (minor injury), 轻微违规 (minor infraction), and 轻微地震 (slight earthquake).

Examples

1. 他在事故中只受了轻微的皮外伤，经处理后并无大碍。 He suffered only minor scrapes in the accident; after treatment, he was fine.
2. 地震仪检测到一次轻微震动，震级仅为二级，大多数居民未有察觉。 The seismograph recorded a slight tremor of only magnitude 2, and most residents didn’t even notice.
3. 这款药物的副作用十分轻微，通常在停药数日后便自行消退。 The side effects of this medication are very mild and usually go away on their own a few days after you stop taking it.

Usage Guide

Context: medical, legal, technical

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 经医生检查，她的伤势轻微，只需在家静养几天即可完全恢复。(After examination by the doctor, her injuries were found to be minor — a few days of rest at home would be sufficient for full recovery.)
• 合同中的任何轻微修改，均须经双方书面确认后方可正式生效。(Any minor amendments to the contract must be confirmed in writing by both parties before they can take formal effect.)

Don't Say

• 他轻微地犯了严重罪行 — 轻微 and 严重 are mutually exclusive in severity; if the offence is 严重, it cannot simultaneously be 轻微

Origin & History

轻 (light/minor) + 微 (tiny/subtle) — light and subtle; of minimal degree

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal