细碎 (xì suì) is an adjective meaning 'tiny and fragmented' or 'trivial', describing things that are physically small and broken into many pieces, or metaphorically unimportant and scattered. The first character 细 means 'fine', 'thin', or 'detailed', while 碎 means 'broken', 'shattered', or 'in fragments'. Together, they emphasize both minuteness and discontinuity—like crumbs, shattered glass, or insignificant daily concerns.

This word often appears in descriptive or slightly literary contexts, especially when referring to physical debris (e.g., food, glass) or abstract matters like thoughts, tasks, or worries that lack coherence or weight. It carries a subtle connotation of dispersion and insignificance—not merely 'small', but 'scattered and negligible'. It’s commonly used in written Chinese and formal speech, less frequent in casual conversation where simpler terms like 小 (xiǎo) or 碎的 (suì de) might suffice.