微笑
wéixiào · HSK 4
smile
😊 微 (tiny) + 笑 (laugh) = a tiny laugh, i.e. a smile
微 means small/slight (same 微 as 微博 micro-blog); 笑 means laugh. A slight laugh is a smile. Pairs with 大笑 (big laugh = loud laughter).
笑 — bamboo radical 竹 (⺮) + 夭 (yāo, bending)
Originally written with the bamboo radical over 夭, depicting a person bending or swaying. One traditional reading is that bamboo bends in the wind like a person doubling over with laughter. The character has meant 'laugh, smile' since early times, with no major shift in meaning.