短短 (duǎn duǎn) — (reduplicated adjective) very short, brief (esp…

Definition

Reduplicated form of 短, meaning 'very short' — emphasizes brevity, especially of time or distance. Pure bound modifier; always attaches to a noun phrase (短短几天, 短短一生), never used as a stand-alone predicate.

bound form

(reduplicated adjective) very shortbrief (especially of time or distance)

Examples

短短，。
duǎn duǎn Jǐ tiān nèi, tā jiù xué huì le yóu yǒng.
In just a few short days, he learned how to swim.
短短，。
Zhè tiáo lù suī rán duǎn duǎn, dàn fēng jǐng hěn měi.
Although this road is very short, the scenery is beautiful.
短短，。
duǎn duǎn Yì shēng zhōng, tā zuò le hěn duō yǒu yì yì de shì.
In his very short life, he did many meaningful things.

Origin

Reduplicated word

构词法gòucífǎ

重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

短duǎnshort

The 短 is doubled to stress very short, brief time or distance.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

矢豆短

Meaning part形符xíngfú

矢矢shǐ

Sound part声符shēngfú

豆

豆dòu短duǎn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

短 is built from 矢 and 豆. 豆 is used for its sound, while 矢 is the component linked to the meaning.

Open 短 →