The Chinese word **细微** (xìwēi), meaning "minute," "tiny," or "subtle," is formed through the common morphological process of **semantic compounding**, where two independent characters with similar meanings are combined to create a single, more precise or emphatic concept. The character **细** (xì) originally denotes "thin," "fine," or "detailed," while **微** (wēi) means "small," "slight," or "subtle." By pairing these two near-synonyms, the compound word **细微** reinforces and refines the shared notion of minuteness, often referring to things that are extremely small in size, degree, or detail, thus creating a nuanced term that is stronger and more specific than either character alone.