弥 (mí): to fill

Meanings

1 to fill
2 to pervade
3 to cover
4 more (literary)

Characters

弥

mí

to fill; to pervade; full

Examples

烟雾弥漫了整个房间。

Yānwù mímàn le zhěnggè fángjiān.

Smoke filled the entire room.

这个错误无法弥补。

Zhège cuòwù wúfǎ míbǔ.

This mistake cannot be made up for.

Tips

usage

弥 is most commonly seen in compounds: 弥漫 (to pervade/fill), 弥补 (to make up for/remedy), 弥合 (to bridge/close a gap). Rarely used alone in modern Chinese.

Components

radical

弓 gōng

bow

Left indexing bow radical 弓 — pictograph of an archer's bow, drawn in profile with the curving stave and slack string. Originally 彌 referred to a fully drawn bow ready to release; from "drawing fully" came the metaphor "to fill, to extend over, to span." Anchors 弥 in the archery family alongside 张 (stretch), 弛 (relax), 强 (strong).

phonetic

尔 ěr

you (here phonetic)

Right 尔 supplies the sound (ěr → mí through Old Chinese m/n initial alternation, attested in 尔/弥/迩/玺 family). 尔 (simplified from 爾) itself meant "this, you" in classical Chinese; pure phonetic role here. The simplified 弥 trims the elaborate 爾 of the traditional 彌. Same phonetic family: 你 (you), 迩 (near), 玺 (seal).