細

Phono-semantic compound:

糸 (실 사, “thread”) — semantic, indicating something thread-like, slender, or fine.

田 (밭 전, “field”) — phonetic, providing the sound 세 (xì) and suggesting division into small, fine parts.

The character originally depicted thin, divided threads, symbolizing fineness or smallness in both physical and abstract senses.

세밀(細密) — meticulous, minute, precise

세심(細心) — careful, attentive, considerate

자세(仔細) — detailed, thorough

세포(細胞) — biological cell

세선(細線) — fine line or thin wire

In classical Chinese, 細 carried both literal and figurative senses — describing physical fineness (e.g., fine silk, delicate grains) and intellectual subtlety or detail.

Confucian and Daoist texts use 細 to contrast with 粗 (coarse), expressing the virtue of attentive precision in conduct and speech (e.g., 細行, “minor acts,” in Analects 19:19).

In Buddhism, 細 is often used metaphorically for subtle or imperceptible phenomena, such as 細心 (“subtle mind”) or 細煩惱 (“subtle delusions”).