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見微知著

简见微知著 · 繁見微知著

Mandarin · pinyin jiàn wēi zhī zhù

(idiom) to examine tiny clues to know general trends; to deduce the whole story from small traces

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Characters in this entry

見: jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive; Kangxi radical 147
微: wēi · small, prefix micro-, trifling
知: zhī · know, perceive, comprehend
著: zhù · zhe · manifest; (Cant.) to wear
见: jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive

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

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Mandarin tones

4–1–1–4 · jian4 wei1 zhi1 zhu4

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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.

見微知著 · find source passages ↗ · 见微知著 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

gin3 mei4 zi1 zyu3

Cantonese word readings for 見微知著. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) to be able to tell the truth or general trend from a tiny phenomenon or early signs
(idiomatic) see the forest for the trees

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

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