How to Write 藐 (miǎo) — Meaning “small; to despise”

Picture a tiny grass blade (艹) that looks like a small, weak plant, and below it is a face (貌) making a scornful expression. This helps you remember the dual meaning of something being very small and the act of despising it.

Pay attention to the proportions: the top 艹 should be wide and cover the lower part, and the lower 貌 is complex with many strokes. A common mistake is making the top part too narrow or forgetting the left side of 貌 has a 豕 (pig) component, which requires careful stroke order.

藐 (miǎo) means small or despise, while 蔬 (shū) means vegetables and 蕃 (fān) means lush or foreign. Visually, 蔬 has a different bottom part (疏) and 蕃 has a different top (艹+番), so focus on the middle section 貌 to identify 藐.

藐 is used in formal or literary contexts, especially in the word 藐视 (to despise) and 藐小 (tiny). It appears in phrases like 藐视困难 (defy difficulties), reflecting a cultural attitude of bravery against challenges, though it is not commonly used in daily conversation.

Common words containing 藐 include: 藐视 (miǎo shì) — to despise; to look down upon; 藐小 (miǎo xiǎo) — tiny; insignificant; 藐视困难 (miǎo shì kùn nán) — to defy difficulties.