小看

• Pinyin: xiǎo kàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 小 = small/minor; 看 = 手 + 目 (hand shading the eye — to look/regard)

Meaning

To underestimate; to look down on; to regard someone or something as less capable or important than they actually are.

Implies a failure to give due credit or recognition. Often used in the pattern 不能小看 (must not underestimate) or 被人小看 (to be looked down upon by others). Slightly more colloquial than 轻视 or 低估.

Examples

1. 不能小看任何一个对手，轻敌往往是失败的根源。 Never underestimate any opponent; overconfidence is often the root of failure.
2. 他因为年纪轻、资历浅而被同事小看，这反而成了他拼命努力的动力。 He was underestimated by colleagues because he was young and inexperienced, and that became the motivation that drove him to work even harder.
3. 这道数学题看似简单，却不能小看，稍有疏忽就会出错。 This math problem looks simple, but don’t underestimate it—one small oversight and you’ll make a mistake.

Usage Guide

Context: competition, workplace, everyday

Tone: cautionary

Do Say

• 千万不要小看这个初创团队，他们的技术积累已相当深厚。(Never underestimate this start-up team — their technical foundations are already quite substantial.)
• 他不甘心被人小看，发誓要用实力证明自己的价值。(Unwilling to be looked down upon, he swore to prove his worth through sheer ability.)

Don't Say

• 我小看了这个问题的大小 — use 低估 for quantitative underestimation; 小看 refers to underestimating ability or importance, not size or scale

Origin & History

小 (small/minor) + 看 (look/regard) — to regard as small; to look at something as lesser

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal