轻微
qīngwéi · HSK 7
trivial
🪶 轻 = light (not heavy) + 微 = tiny/micro; together = slight, barely there
轻 is the same light as in lightweight, and 微 is the micro in microscope or microwave. Stack them and the meaning is something so minor it hardly registers: a light, trifling, trivial amount.
轻 — vehicle radical 车 + 巠 (phonetic)
轻 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 车 (vehicle) gives the meaning, originally referring to a light, swift chariot. The right side 巠 supplies the sound. Over time the meaning broadened from 'light cart' to 'light in weight' and figuratively 'slight' or 'gentle'.