戔

Smallness resulting from a process of reduction; meager, scanty, or precise (as in something that has been trimmed away).

Used as an adjective (meager, scanty, tiny, narrow) or a verb (to reduce, diminish, pare down). In early texts, the distinction between the state of being small and the action of reducing is often fluid.

Unlike 小, which denotes inherent smallness, 戔 specifically carries the sense of being pared down or diminished.

Fanqie reading: 昨干. Simplified variant: 减 (U+620B).

Composed of two halberds (戈), representing the act of cutting or carving. This "reduction" logic serves as the semantic root for characters such as 減 (to subtract/reduce) and 漸 (gradual).

When encountering this glyph, consider whether the context implies a static quality ("small") or a dynamic process ("diminished").