| 细腻 | xì nì | (of skin etc) smooth / satiny / delicate / (of a performance, depiction, craftsmanship etc) finely detailed / subtle / exquisite / meticulous |   |
| 微妙 | wēi miào | subtle | |
| 细微 | xì wēi | tiny / minute / fine / subtle / sensitive (instruments) | |
| 城府 | chéng fǔ | subtle / shrewd / sophisticated | |
| 精微 | jīng wēi | subtle / profound | |
| 幽微 | yōu wēi | faint / subtle (of sound, scent etc) / profound / mysterious / dim | |
| 体味 | tǐ wèi | body odor / to appreciate a subtle taste | |
| 高妙 | gāo miào | masterly / subtle and clever (or artwork, writing etc) | |
| 胸有城府 | xiōng yǒu chéng fǔ | subtle way of thinking (idiom) / hard to fathom / deep and shrewd | |
| 只可意会，不可言传 | zhǐ kě yì huì , bù kě yán chuán | can be understood, but not described (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]) / mysterious and subtle | |
| 可以意会，不可言传 | kě yǐ yì huì , bù kě yán chuán | can be understood, but not described (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]) / mysterious and subtle | |
| 玩索 | wán suǒ | to search for subtle traces / to ponder | |
| 暗香 | àn xiāng | subtle fragrance | |
| 微言大义 | wēi yán dà yì | subtle words with profound meaning (idiom) | |
