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至少 (zhì shǎo) — at least

Definition

至少 means 'at least' and sets a floor or minimum. It's the everyday choice; 顶多 is its opposite ('at most'), and 好歹 in this sense is more emphatic and feels slightly literary.

adverb
at least

Examples

  • 至少。
    Nǐ zhì shǎo yào děng bàn xiǎo shí.
    You have to wait at least half an hour.
  • 至少。
    Tā zhì shǎo yǒu sān shí suì.
    He is at least thirty years old.
  • 至少。
    Wǒ měi tiān zhì shǎo yùn dòng yí cì.
    I exercise at least once a day.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

至zhìreach
少shǎofew

至 means reach and 少 means few or minimum, so the sense is at the least amount.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

至 is drawn as an arrow stuck into the ground.

Open 至 →

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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