# Sweet Teeth (世界微尘里)
**Sweet Teeth** (世界微尘里) is a 2021 Chinese urban romance television series directed by Xu Hongyu (许宏宇), starring Wu Xuanyi (吴宣仪) and Bi Wenjun (毕雯珺) as leads, with Zhai Xiaowen (翟潇闻) in a special starring role and Zhang Bojia (张柏嘉), Liu Te (刘特), and Wan Zilin (万籽麟) in main supporting roles. Adapted from the popular novel of the same name by Mu Fusheng (木浮生), it ran for 22 episodes of 45 minutes each and premiered on iQIYI on August 16, 2021.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%BE%AE%E5%B0%98%E9%87%8C/53161383?fromModule=lemma_inlink)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 世界微尘里 (Shi Jie Wei Chen Li); English title Sweet Teeth[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%BE%AE%E5%B0%98%E9%87%8C/53161383?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [2](https://cnvix.com/info/sweet-teeth/) |
| Source | Adapted from Mu Fusheng's popular novel of the same name[3](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_2alu2xjtysh.html) |
| Lead roles | Wu Xuanyi as Zeng Li, a university librarian; Bi Wenjun as Ai Jingchu, a dentist and medical school teacher[3](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_2alu2xjtysh.html) |
| Episodes / runtime | 22 episodes, 45 minutes each[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%BE%AE%E5%B0%98%E9%87%8C/53161383?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |
| Broadcast | August 16 to August 31, 2021 on iQIYI's Lianlian (恋恋) romance theater[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%BE%AE%E5%B0%98%E9%87%8C/53161383?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [4](https://www.iqiyi.com/kszt_phone/news20210816.html) • [5](https://thetvdb.com/series/400498-/seasons/official/1) |
| Production | iQIYI; filmed in Xiamen, Fujian, from October 15 to December 29, 2020[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%BE%AE%E5%B0%98%E9%87%8C/53161383?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |
| Ratings | 7.1 on iQIYI; 9.3 on Rakuten Viki[3](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_2alu2xjtysh.html) • [6](https://www.viki.com/tv/38656c-sweet-teeth?locale=zh) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
The series follows Zeng Li, a 28-year-old librarian at Donghu University, who meets Ai Jingchu, an associate chief dentist at the university's affiliated hospital, when she is fitted for braces to straighten her teeth. Their doctor-patient relationship develops through shared episodes including a snowy night journey, hide-and-seek at an orphanage, and a [New Year's Eve](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-years-eve) on a pirate ship, as the two lonely characters gradually heal each other.[2](https://cnvix.com/info/sweet-teeth/) • [7](https://thetvdb.com/series/400498-)
A complication arrives when Zeng Li's first love, [Yu Yi](https://www.edgepedia.org/yu-yi) (played by Merxat Mi Re), returns to China and begins to pursue her; Yu Yi is also Ai Jingchu's best friend.[2](https://cnvix.com/info/sweet-teeth/) In the drama's framing, as a teenager Ai Jingchu had accidentally received the love letter Zeng Li wrote to Yu Yi, opening the thread of their eventual connection.[8](https://www.iq.com/album/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%BE%AE%E5%B0%98%E9%87%8C-2021-nokrs0q911?lang=zh_cn)
**Three couples, three flavors.** The drama interweaves three love stories, which it likens to three hotpot broth flavors: Zeng Li and Ai Jingchu as the "clear broth" couple, Liu Yucheng and Wu Ying as the "sour soup" couple, and Deng Haoran and Ma Yiyi as the "spicy" couple. The framing presents love as having more than one shape, with each couple finding the flavor that suits them.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%BE%AE%E5%B0%98%E9%87%8C/53161383?fromModule=lemma_inlink) The three women are close friends who together run a café called Carol's.[3](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_2alu2xjtysh.html)
The show also uses Ai Jingchu's profession for workplace material: episodes depict an oral surgeon who treats children with cleft lip and palate, joins rescue work in Africa, and helps patients avoid life-threatening conditions, alongside the romance plot.[4](https://www.iqiyi.com/kszt_phone/news20210816.html)
## Production and cast
Filming began in Xiamen, Fujian on October 15, 2020, when the main cast was announced, and wrapped on December 29, 2020.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%BE%AE%E5%B0%98%E9%87%8C/53161383?fromModule=lemma_inlink) The series was produced by Beijing iQIYI Science and Technology Co., Ltd., with Xu Hongyu as chief director and Liu Hanyang as co-director; the screenwriters were Lei Xinlin, Hao Ru, and Bin Ni.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%BE%AE%E5%B0%98%E9%87%8C/53161383?fromModule=lemma_inlink) The cast is drawn largely from idol backgrounds: Wu Xuanyi and Bi Wenjun are both from the same company, and Zhai Xiaowen, Liu Te, and Wan Zilin also came from idol programs.[9](https://k.sina.cn/article_7241582081_1afa1c60100100v82w.html)
## Broadcast
The series was one of seven dramas announced for iQIYI's 2021 Lianlian Theater (恋恋剧场), a romance-focused programming strand.[10](https://finance.sina.com.cn/tech/2021-05-15/doc-ikmxzfmm2633230.shtml) A trailer was released in May 2021, and the show premiered on August 16, 2021 as the fifth drama of that strand.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%BE%AE%E5%B0%98%E9%87%8C/53161383?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [4](https://www.iqiyi.com/kszt_phone/news20210816.html)
**Pre-broadcast attention.** Before airing, the Weibo topic #世界微尘里# had reached 1.49 billion reads, and more than 1.45 million users had reserved the show in the iQIYI app.[4](https://www.iqiyi.com/kszt_phone/news20210816.html) New episodes were released Mondays through Wednesdays at 20:00, two per day, with VIP members able to watch six episodes ahead.[4](https://www.iqiyi.com/kszt_phone/news20210816.html) The finale aired on August 31, 2021.[5](https://thetvdb.com/series/400498-/seasons/official/1) Internationally, the series streams on iQIYI's global site iq.com in resolutions up to 4K with Dolby audio, and on Rakuten Viki with subtitles in English, Chinese, Spanish, and more than a dozen other languages.[11](https://www.iq.com/wiki/zh_cn/album/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%BE%AE%E5%B0%98%E9%87%8C-2021-2alu2xjtysh) • [6](https://www.viki.com/tv/38656c-sweet-teeth?locale=zh)
## Reception
The series drew a divided response. On iQIYI it holds a 7.1 score, and on Rakuten Viki a 9.3 rating from over 34,000 users.[3](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_2alu2xjtysh.html) • [6](https://www.viki.com/tv/38656c-sweet-teeth?locale=zh) Chinese press coverage was more critical: Sina [Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment) reported that although the show ranked third in heat across platforms at premiere, more than ninety percent of Douban reviewers gave it one star, with criticism aimed at the leads' acting and a large-scale alteration of the novel's plot and characterization.[12](https://k.sina.cn/article_7267278187_1b129dd6b00100yj9v.html) A Sohu review noted that the drama kept the novel's fresh, healing tone and compressed the story into 22 episodes without padding, but argued that the added characters and loose transitions weakened the adaptation.[13](https://www.sohu.com/a/485135836_427962)
Positive commentary emphasized the same qualities. Reviews on Douban praised the visual quality, the music, and Xu Hongyu's comedic, healing style of storytelling.[14](https://movie.douban.com/subject/35161589/reviews) Baidu Baike's summary of press evaluation credits the drama with exploring the work and romance anxieties of women entering their late twenties and presenting women bravely pursuing love independently, with the three-couple hotpot framing as its central message about love.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%BE%AE%E5%B0%98%E9%87%8C/53161383?fromModule=lemma_inlink)
## References
1. [世界微尘里（2021年许宏宇执导的电视剧）, Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%BE%AE%E5%B0%98%E9%87%8C/53161383?fromModule=lemma_inlink)
2. [Sweet Teeth Chinese Drama 2021, Synopsis, Cast - CNVIX](https://cnvix.com/info/sweet-teeth/)
3. [世界微尘里 - 全集在线观看, iQIYI](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_2alu2xjtysh.html)
4. [《世界微尘里》"牙医CP"双向奔赴，恋恋剧场持续发糖, iQIYI news](https://www.iqiyi.com/kszt_phone/news20210816.html)
5. [世界微尘里 - Season 1, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/400498-/seasons/official/1)
6. [世界微尘里 (Sweet Teeth) - Rakuten Viki](https://www.viki.com/tv/38656c-sweet-teeth?locale=zh)
7. [世界微尘里 - TheTVDB.com series page](https://thetvdb.com/series/400498-)
8. [世界微尘里 (2021) 全集, iQIYI International (iq.com)](https://www.iq.com/album/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%BE%AE%E5%B0%98%E9%87%8C-2021-nokrs0q911?lang=zh_cn)
9. [《世界微尘里》首播,吴宣仪的牙太抢镜 - 新浪娱乐](https://k.sina.cn/article_7241582081_1afa1c60100100v82w.html)
10. [爱奇艺发布超200个内容项目 - 新浪科技](https://finance.sina.com.cn/tech/2021-05-15/doc-ikmxzfmm2633230.shtml)
11. [世界微尘里（2021）剧情介绍 - iq.com wiki](https://www.iq.com/wiki/zh_cn/album/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%BE%AE%E5%B0%98%E9%87%8C-2021-2alu2xjtysh)
12. [吴宣仪新剧演技被吐槽，爱豆当演员只顾捞金，没有观众会买单|世界微尘里|尴尬|流量|热度|娱乐圈_新浪娱乐_新浪新闻](https://k.sina.cn/article_7267278187_1b129dd6b00100yj9v.html)
13. [《世界微尘里》遭魔改 - 搜狐](https://www.sohu.com/a/485135836_427962)
14. [世界微尘里的剧评 - 豆瓣](https://movie.douban.com/subject/35161589/reviews)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › East Asian web and streaming serials › Titles Sp to Z*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license