短 (duǎn) — short, brief | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

短 describes physical length (hair, rope) or duration (time, story). For height use 矮; for 'short' in time only, use 不久.

adjective

shortbrief

短。
Tā de tóu fa hěn duǎn.
His hair is very short.
短。
Tā xiě le yí gè duǎn gù shi.
He wrote a short story.
短，。
Hán jià hěn duǎn, hěn kuài jiù guò qù le.
Winter break was short and passed quickly.

Sound + meaning

六书liùshū

形声xíngshēng

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