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减少 (jiǎn shǎo) — to reduce, to decrease, to cut down

Definition

A general-purpose verb for 'to reduce/decrease' (amount, time, cost, pressure — anything countable). Unlike 减, it takes an object directly, and unlike 下降 it implies an active choice rather than a natural drop.

verb
to reduceto decreaseto cut down

Examples

  • 减少。
    Tā jiǎn shǎo le měi tiān wán yóu xì de shí jiān.
    He cut down the time he spends playing games every day.
  • 减少。
    Zhèng fǔ jué dìng jiǎn shǎo shuì shōu yǐ bāng zhù xiǎo qǐ yè.
    The government decided to reduce taxes to help small businesses.
  • 减少。
    Duō yùn dòng kě yǐ bāng zhù jiǎn shǎo gōng zuò yā lì.
    Doing more exercise can help reduce work stress.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

减jiǎnreduce
少shǎofew

减 reduce and 少 few give the result of becoming fewer.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 減; 减 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 減 has 氵, water, and 咸, a seal: sealing off a stream of water lessens its flow. The simplified 减 is a later abbreviation.

Open 减 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 少 is drawn as four dots, perhaps three grains of sand, to indicate a few or a little.

Open 少 →
Appears in
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