And "rien" (nothing) used to mean something (via latin "res")
"Un petit rien" => a small thing
Typically used in "les petits riens de la vie", meaning the small things in life that may be overlooked but constitute the true things that make it worth living.
The cognitive origins of these must be interesting. Rooted in our understanding of existence?
"Un petit rien" => a small thing
Typically used in "les petits riens de la vie", meaning the small things in life that may be overlooked but constitute the true things that make it worth living.