细微

• Pinyin: xì wēi
• Hanzi breakdown: 细 = 纟+ 田 (silk thread + field — fine, slender); 微 = 彳+ 山 + 攵 (step + mountain + action — tiny, subtle, imperceptible)

Meaning

Minute; subtle; tiny. Refers to small differences, slight changes, or barely perceptible details.

Used for differences (细微的差别), changes (细微的变化), or sensations that are barely detectable. Implies precision of observation or attention. Common in scientific, analytical, and literary contexts.

Examples

1. 她能察觉到对方语气中细微的变化，感受到气氛正在悄然转变。 She can pick up on subtle changes in the other person’s tone and sense the atmosphere quietly shifting.
2. 这两幅画乍看相似，但专家能分辨出其中细微的笔法差异。 At first glance, these two paintings look similar, but experts can tell the subtle differences in brushwork.
3. 新药的副作用极为细微，多数患者在初期几乎感受不到。 The new drug’s side effects are extremely slight; most patients barely feel anything at the beginning.

Usage Guide

Context: science, analysis, literature, psychology, observation

Tone: precise

Do Say

• 临床训练中，老师反复提醒年轻医生要敏感捕捉患者的细微变化，因为它常是最早的诊断信号。(In clinical training, teachers repeatedly remind young doctors to catch subtle changes in patients, because they are often the earliest diagnostic signals.)
• 研究跨文化沟通时，语言学家发现，很多误解源于对言语中细微语用信号的不同解读。(In cross-cultural communication research, linguists find that many misunderstandings come from different interpretations of subtle pragmatic signals in speech.)

Don't Say

• 细微 to mean detailed or thorough — use 详细 for thoroughness; 细微 refers to things that are tiny or barely detectable in scale, not things that are comprehensive or extensive in coverage

Origin & History

细 (fine, minute) + 微 (tiny, subtle, imperceptible) — both characters indicate smallness; together they emphasise something barely perceptible

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal