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微言大義

简微言大义 · 繁微言大義

Mandarin · pinyin wēi yán dà yì

subtle words with profound meaning (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

微: wēi · small, prefix micro-, trifling
言: yán · words, speech; speak, say; Kangxi radical 149
大: dà · big, great, vast, large, high
義: Look up this written character
义: yì · right conduct, righteousness

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–2–4–4 · wei1 yan2 da4 yi4

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Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

微言大義 · find source passages ↗ · 微言大义 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) using few words to convey deep meaning

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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