Chinese Dictionary

Usage of the character 少

few
less
to lack
to be missing
to stop (doing sth)
seldom

young

young married woman

very few
rarely

small number
few
minority

rare; seldom seen
(formal) it's a rare pleasure to see you

too few
insufficient

child

early youth
youngster
(literary) youth; young man

son of the boss
young master of the house
your son (honorific)

(literary) a little while

young and pretty
pretty girl

second lieutenant (army rank)

rare
infrequent

at least
(to say the) least

the old and the young

young
junior

major general
rear admiral
air vice marshal

sparse
rare

at least
minimum
lowest (amount)
minimal

junior ranking officer in Chinese army
major
lieutenant commander

a short while
soon

how much?; how many?
(phone number, student ID etc) what number?

to be short of the full amount

lack
shortage of
shortfall
to be short (of)
to lack

refrain (from doing sth)
(coll.) Come on!
Give me a break!
Save it!

airline steward (abbr. for 空中少爺／空中少爷 (kōngzhōngshàoye))

the Shaolin monastery and martial arts school

a little; a few

many
a lot
not few

soon
a short while
a narrow gap
slightly better (state of health)

very little
very few

to add less (of a spice etc)

in a short while
presently

girl
young lady

young thug
malicious young ruffian

young, unmarried male; young guy

Minor Treasurer in imperial China, one of the Nine Ministers 九卿 (jiǔqīng)

boss's son
young master; young boss

a smidgen
a little bit
a few

number; amount
somewhat

to lessen; to decrease; to reduce; to lower

young criminal
juvenile delinquent

extremely few
a small minority

Shàonián Gōng

Children's Palace, institution where children can take part in various extracurricular activities

Shào Xiānduì

Young Pioneers of China, abbr. for 少年先鋒隊／少年先锋队 ( Shàonián Xiānfēngduì)

shàoyángbìng

name of disease in TCM

qīngshàonián

adolescent
youth
teenager

(coll.) (usually used in the negative) (can't) hurt (to do sth)
(won't) hurt (to do sth)

Liu Shaoqi (1898-1969), Chinese communist leader, a martyr of the Cultural Revolution

Jungfrau, peak in Switzerland

shàozhuàngpài

young guard
young and vigorous group with new ideas
new wave

young lady of the house
wife of the young master

boss's son

Nouakchott, capital of Mauritania (Tw)

(coll.) dim-witted
foolish
absent-minded

indispensable; essential

cannot do without
to be unavoidable
are bound to be many

Shaolin Temple, Buddhist monastery famous for its kung fu monks

old but young at heart

cannot be avoided
cannot do without

declining birthrate (orthographic borrowing from Japanese 少子化 "shoushika")

shàoyángjīng

lesser yang gallbladder meridian of the leg (one of the 12 principal meridians of TCM)

huòduōhuòshǎo

more or less

shàonánshàonü

boys and girls
teenagers

zhōushǎosēngduō

see 僧多粥少 (sēngduōzhōushǎo)

lǎoshàoxiányí

suitable for young and old

jīshǎochéngduō

(idiom) many little things add up to sth great; many little drops make an ocean

duōtuìshǎobǔ

(after a sum has been paid in advance) to refund (in case of overpayment) or be reimbursed (in case of underpayment)

duōduōshǎoshǎo

to some extent
more or less

yángchǎng'èshào

a rich young bully of old Shanghai

kōngzhōngshàoye

airline steward

jùshǎolíduō

(idiom) (of a husband and wife, etc) to spend more time apart than together; to see each other very little

lǎoshàowúqī

cheating neither old nor young
treating youngsters and old folk equally scrupulously
Our house offers sincere treatment to all and fair trade to old and young alike.

shàobùgēngshì

young and inexperienced; wet behind the ears

lángduōròushǎo

many wolves and not enough meat
not enough to go around

shǎo'ānwúzào

variant of 少安毋躁 (shǎo'ānwúzào)

shǎotūjiāozhì

oligodendrocytes (Greek: cells with few branches), a type of cell in central nervous system
oligodendroglia

yǐshǎoshèngduō

using the few to defeat the many (idiom); to win from a position of weakness

shàoniánzhījiā

children's center
children's club

bùkěquēshǎo

indispensable

shǎoshùmínzú

national minority
ethnic group

shǎozhīyòushǎo

very few; very little

shǎojiànduōguài

lit. a person who has seen little of the world will be be astonished by certain things (idiom)
fig. to be taken aback by sth because of one's lack of sophistication; naive; unworldy

absolutely necessary
indispensable
essential

nánnülǎoshào

men, women, young and old; all kinds of people; people of all ages

quējīnshǎoliǎng

to give short weight

shàobùjīngshì

see 少不更事 (shàobugèngshi)

rényānxīshǎo

no sign of human habitation (idiom); desolate

xiōngduōjíshǎo

lit. everything bodes ill, no positive signs (idiom)
fig. inauspicious; everything points to disaster

lǎoshàojiēyí

suitable for both the young and the old

shǎo'ānwúzào

keep calm, don't get excited
don't be impatient

hǎijūnshàoxiào

lieutenant commander

shǎoguǎnxiánshì

Mind your own business!
Don't interfere!

shào'érbùyí

not suitable for children

shǎoshuōwéijiā

Few words are best.
Brevity is the soul of wit.

shūmóushǎolüè

(idiom) unable to plan; inept at strategy

sēngduōzhōushǎo

lit. many monks and not much gruel (idiom)
fig. not enough to go around
demand exceeds supply

niánshàowúzhī

young and inexperienced; unsophisticated

shǎoshùzúyì

ethnic minority

quēyīshǎoshí

short of food and clothing
destitute

quēxīnshǎofèi

brainless
stupid

duōshǎoyǒuxiē

somewhat
more or less

guǎ'èrshǎoshuāng

peerless
second to none (idiom)

shàoniánlǎochéng

accomplished though young
lacking youthful vigor

yǒubùshǎomíngtang

有不少名堂

[有不少名堂]

there is a lot to it
not a straightforward matter

shǎoshùmínzúxiāng

少数民族乡

[少數民族鄉]

ethnic township (formal village level subdivision of PRC county)

Shàonián Xiānfēngduì

少年先锋队

[少年先鋒隊]

Young Pioneers of China (primary school league, a preparation for Communist Youth League)
abbr. to 少先隊／少先队

duōzāihuāshǎozāicì

多栽花少栽刺

[多栽花少栽刺]

talk nicely and avoid disputes
give compliments and not remarks

yěhǎobuliǎoduōshǎo

也好不了多少

[也好不了多少]

hardly any better
just as bad

qiánduōshìshǎolíjiājìn

钱多事少离家近

[錢多事少離家近]

lots of money, less work, and close to home
ideal job

jiǔféngzhījǐqiānbēishǎo

酒逢知己千杯少

[酒逢知己千杯少]

a thousand cups of wine is not too much when best friends meet (idiom)
when you're with close friends, you can let your hair down

shàoniánfūqīlǎoláibàn

少年夫妻老来伴

[少年夫妻老來伴]

husband and wife in youth, companions in old age

duōyīshìbùrúshǎoyīshì

多一事不如少一事

[多一事不如少一事]

it is better to avoid unnecessary trouble (idiom)
the less complications the better

fārèbànxuèxiǎobǎnjiǎnshǎozōnghézhēng

发热伴血小板减少综合征

[發熱伴血小板減少綜合徵]

severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS)

huāyǒuchóngkāirì,rénwúzàishàonián

花有重开日，人无再少年

[花有重開日，人無再少年]

a flower may blossom again, but a person cannot get young again (proverb)

shàozhuàngbùnǔlì,lǎodàtúshāngbēi

少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲

[少壯不努力，老大徒傷悲]

if you are lazy in your prime, you'll be sorry in your old age