About
The character 咪 is structurally composed of the mouth radical 口 paired with 米, which primarily provides phonetic indication, and its development is tied to its role in representing sound. Originally functioning as an onomatopoeic graph to imitate high-pitched or slender sounds, such as a cat's vocalization, it became standardized in lexical items like 咪咪, which refers directly to that sound or, through metonymy, to a cat itself. Its meaning later extended beyond the auditory realm into descriptive visual imagery, notably in the term 笑眯眯, where it conveys the semblance of eyes crinkling into a smile, demonstrating a semantic shift from purely phonetic imitation to encompassing certain facial expressions while retaining its foundational tie to sound symbolism.
Example Sentences Hide
小猫咪咪叫。
咪咪是我的宠物猫。
他咪着眼睛看太阳。
街边有咪表停车。
妈妈咪呀，这太惊喜了！
他用咪高峰演唱歌曲。
咪唑是一种有机化合物。
在显微镜下，他咪见了细微的结构。