简短 (jiǎn duǎn) — brief, concise (of speech, writing, etc.) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

简短 describes speech or writing that is brief in length. Pairs with 简练/简要 (focused on being concise and well-edited) and 短 (neutral 'short', not only for text).

adjective

briefconcise (of speech, writing, etc.)

Examples

简短，。
Tā de fā yán hěn jiǎn duǎn, dàn hěn yǒu lì.
His speech was brief but powerful.
简短。
Qǐng yòng jiǎn duǎn de yǔ yán shuō míng nǐ de guān diǎn.
Please explain your point in brief language.
简短。
Zhè fēng jiǎn duǎn de xìn jiàn bāo hán le hěn duō xìn xī.
This brief letter contains a lot of information.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

简 (simple) and 短 (short) together describe something concise and brief.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 簡; 简 is its simplified writing.

竹間簡

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

間

閒xián簡jiǎn

Same sound today

In the traditional form 簡, 竹 (bamboo) is paired with 間 (also written 閒) as a sound part; the simplified 简 is a later shorthand.

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

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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Size & Dimension

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