Word: 少 (shǎo, shào)

一天下了三场雨，少晴

yì tiān xià le sānchǎng yǔ, shǎo qíng

three showers in one day: few fine (feelings)

三弦当琵琶,少根弦

sānxián dàng pípa,shǎo gēn xián

using a three-string lute as a pipa: one string short

下雨天，末班车上人很少。

Xià yǔtiān, mòbānchē shàng rén hěn shǎo.

On rainy days, there are very few people on the last bus.

书到用时方恨少，事非经过不知难

shū dào yòng shí fāng hèn shǎo, shì fēi jīngguò bùzhī nán

only when you need books do you regret having read too few; you don't know a task is hard until you've done it

人知道的越多，懂的就越少。

Rén zhīdào de yuè duō, dǒng de jiù yuè shǎo.

The more you know, the less you understand.

什么也没少。

Shénme yě méi shǎo.

Nothing is missing.

今天顾客比较少。

Jīntiān gùkè bǐjiào shǎo.

There's not very many customers today.

今年下的雪比以往少。

Jīnnián xià de xuě bǐ yǐwǎng shǎo.

We have less snow than usual.

今年夏天的降雨特别少。

Jīnnián xiàtiān de jiàngyǔ tèbié shǎo.

The rainfall this summer has been especially low.

今年的雨水比往年少。

Jīnnián de yǔshuǐ bǐ wǎngnián shǎo.

There is less rain this year than in past years.

他作风低调，很少说话。

Tā zuòfēng dīdiào, hěn shǎo shuōhuà.

He has a low-key style and rarely speaks.

他回避社交，很少出门。

Tā huíbì shèjiāo, hěn shǎo chūmén.

He shuns social life and rarely goes out.

他在外地工作，很少回家。

Tā zài wàidì gōngzuò, hěn shǎo huíjiā.

He works in another part of the country and rarely comes home.

他太高傲了，很少和同事说话。

Tā tài gāo'àole, hěn shǎo hé tóngshì shuōhuà.

He is so arrogant that he rarely talks to his colleagues.

他常去境外出差，很少在家。

Tā cháng qù jìngwài chūchāi, hěn shǎo zàijiā.

He often travels abroad on business and is rarely at home.

他很少借钱。

Tā hěn shǎo jièqián.

He rarely borrows money. He rarely lends money.

他很少反思自己的看法。

Tā hěn shǎo fǎnsī zìjǐ de kànfǎ.

He rarely reflects on his own views.

他很少吃水果。

Tā hěn shǎo chī shuǐguǒ.

He seldom eats fruits.

他很少和以前的同学接触。

Tā hěn shǎo hé yǐqián de tóngxué jiēchù.

He is rarely in touch with his old classmates.

他很少和外界联系。

Tā hěn shǎo hé wàijiè liánxì.

He rarely has contact with the outside world.

他很少和家里人吃饭。

Tā hěn shǎo hé jiālǐ rén chīfàn.

He rarely eats with his family.

他很少来看我。

Tā hěn shǎo láikàn wǒ.

He seldom comes to see me.

他很少给他的妻子礼物。

Tā hěn shǎo gěi tā de qīzi lǐwù.

He seldom gives his wife presents.

他很少讲起过去的苦难。

Tā hěn shǎo jiǎng qǐ guòqù de kǔnàn.

He rarely talks about the suffering of his past.

他很少跟别人交心。

Tā hěn shǎo gēn biéren jiāoxīn.

He rarely opens up to other people.

他搬到北京，此后很少回家。

Tā bān dào Běijīng, cǐhòu hěn shǎo huíjiā.

He moved to Beijing and after that rarely came home.

他最近频繁出差，很少在家。

Tā zuìjìn pínfán chūchāi, hěn shǎo zàijiā.

He has been traveling on business frequently lately and is rarely home.

他的工资少得可怜。

Tā de gōngzī shǎo de kělián.

His wages are pitifully low.

仙人掌很少需要浇水。

Xiānrénzhǎng hěn shǎo xūyào jiāoshuǐ.

A cactus rarely needs watering.

你之所以会累，是因为睡得太少。

Nǐ zhīsuǒyǐ huì lèi, shì yīnwèi shuì de tài shǎo.

The reason you get tired is that you sleep too little.

你少把一切都推到他头上。

Nǐ shǎo bǎ yíqiè dōu tuī dào tā tóushàng.

Don’t you try and blame this on him.

你的作文非常好，而且错误很少。

Nǐ de zuòwén fēicháng hǎo, érqiě cuòwù hěn shǎo.

Your composition is very good, and it has few mistakes.

你的咖啡里水很少。

Nǐ de kāfēi lǐ shuǐ hěn shǎo.

There is very little water in your coffee.

你知道的越少越好，好吗？

Nǐ zhīdào de yuè shǎo yuè hǎo, hǎo ma?

The less you know, the better, OK?

关于这种方言的资料很少。

Guānyú zhèzhǒng fāngyán de zīliào hěn shǎo.

There is little information about this dialect.

农村的人力越来越少了。

Nóngcūn de rénlì yuèláiyuè shǎole.

There is less and less manpower in the countryside.

出口少了，内需就更重要。

Chūkǒu shǎole, nèixū jiù gèng zhòngyào.

With exports down, domestic demand matters even more.

刚搬来的邻居很少参加社交活动。

Gāng bān lái de línjū hěn shǎo cānjiā shèjiāo huódòng.

The neighbor who just moved in rarely takes part in social events.

医生提倡多吃蔬菜少吃肉。

Yīshēng tíchàng duō chī shūcài shǎo chī ròu.

Doctors advocate eating more vegetables and less meat.

医生说，你应该少吃太甜的食品。

Yīshēng shuō, nǐ yīnggāi shǎo chī tài tián de shípǐn.

The doctor says you should eat less of foods that are too sweet.

双减后补习班少了吗？

Shuāngjiǎn hòu bǔxíbān shǎole ma?

Are there fewer cram classes since the Double Reduction policy?

双减政策让补习班少了很多。

Shuāngjiǎn zhèngcè ràng bǔxíbān shǎole hěn duō.

The Double Reduction policy has greatly reduced the number of cram schools.

哑巴进庙门,多磕头少说话

yǎba jìn miào mén,duō kētóu shǎo shuōhuà

a mute entering a temple: kowtow a lot, say little

商场下午客流少，很安静。

Shāngchǎng xiàwǔ kèliú shǎo, hěn ānjìng.

The mall has few customers in the afternoon and is very quiet.

地下水越来越少了。

Dìxiàshuǐ yuèláiyuè shǎole.

There is less and less groundwater.

城市化让农村人口变少了。

Chéngshìhuà ràng nóngcūn rénkǒu biàn shǎole.

Urbanisation has reduced the rural population.

外资最近为什么越来越少了？

Wàizī zuìjìn wèishénme yuèláiyuè shǎole?

Why has foreign capital been getting scarcer lately?

多个朋友多条路，少个对头少堵墙

duōgepéngyouduōtiáolù, shǎo ge duìtóu shǎo dǔqiáng

one more friend, one more road; one fewer enemy, one fewer wall

多虚不如少实，广种不如狭收

duō xū bùrú shǎo shí, guǎng zhòng bùrú xiá shōu

much show is worse than a little substance; sowing wide is worse than reaping from a small plot

多问老师，就能少走弯路。

Duō wèn lǎoshī, jiù néng shǎo zǒuwānlù.

If you ask your teacher more, you'll avoid wasting time on wrong approaches.

她上学很少迟到。

Tā shàngxué hěn shǎo chídào.

She is seldom late for school.

她为人宽厚，很少生气。

Tā wèi rén kuānhòu, hěn shǎo shēngqì.

She is tolerant by nature and rarely gets angry.

她工作很自主，老板很少管她。

Tā gōngzuò hěn zìzhǔ, lǎobǎn hěn shǎo guǎn tā.

She works very autonomously, and her boss rarely interferes.

她很少出去。

Tā hěn shǎo chūqù.

She seldom goes out.

她很少去像那样的地方。

Tā hěn shǎo qù xiàng nàyàng de dìfang.

She seldom goes to that sort of place.

她很少吃早餐。

Tā hěn shǎo chī zǎocān.

She seldom eats breakfast.

她很少迟到。

Tā hěn shǎo chídào.

She is rarely late for appointments.

她星期日很少出门。

Tā xīngqīrì hěn shǎo chūmén.

She rarely goes out on Sundays.

好话传仨人，有头少了身；坏话传仨人，有叶又有根

hǎohuà chuán sā rén, yǒu tóu shǎole shēn; huàihuà chuán sā rén, yǒu Yè yòu yǒu gēn

good words passed through three people have a head but lose the body; bad words passed through three people have leaves as well as roots

妈妈很少当面夸奖我。

Māma hěn shǎo dāngmiàn kuājiǎng wǒ.

My mom rarely praises me to my face.

妻贤夫祸少，子孝父心宽

qī xiánfū huò shǎo, zǐ xiào fù xīn kuān

a worthy wife, the husband has fewer misfortunes; a filial son, the father's heart is at ease

对照名单，看看少了谁。

Duìzhào míngdān, kànkan shǎole shéi.

Check against the list and see who's missing.

小区的车位太少了。

Xiǎoqū de chēwèi tài shǎole.

There aren't enough parking spaces in our neighborhood.

小区里的停车位越来越少了。

Xiǎoqū lǐ de tíngchēwèi yuèláiyuè shǎole.

There are fewer and fewer parking spaces in our residential complex.

少一把叉子。

Shǎo yì bǎ chāzi.

There is a fork missing.

少不癫狂老不板

shào bù diānkuáng lǎo bù bǎn

when young, don't be flighty; when old, don't be rigid

少了一个戒指和一点现金。

Shǎole yí gè jièzhi hé yìdiǎn xiànjīn.

A ring and some cash are missing.

少了一把勺子。

Shǎole yì bǎ sháozi.

There is a spoon missing.

少叫一声哥，多走十里坡

shǎo jiào yìshēng gē, duō zǒu shí lǐ pō

say 'elder brother' once less, and walk ten more miles of hill

少吃一口，安定一宿

shǎo chī yìkǒu, āndìng yì xiǔ

eat one mouthful less, and sleep peacefully for a night

少吃咸鱼少口干

shǎo chī xiányú shǎo kǒu gān

eat less salted fish and your mouth is less dry

少吃多滋味，多吃坏肚皮

shǎo chī duō zīwèi, duō chī huài dùpí

eat less and it tastes better, eat more and you ruin your stomach

少吃零食，对身体更好。

Shǎo chī língshí, duì shēntǐ gèng hǎo.

Eating fewer snacks is better for your health.

山里的飞禽走兽越来越少了。

Shān lǐ de fēiqínzǒushòu yuèláiyuè shǎole.

There are fewer and fewer birds and animals in the mountains.

市长号召市民少开车，多坐地铁。

Shìzhǎng hàozhào shìmín shǎo kāichē, duō zuò dìtiě.

The mayor appealed to citizens to drive less and take the subway more.

年轻人现在很少看戏曲了。

Niánqīngrén xiànzài hěn shǎo kàn xìqǔ le.

Young people rarely watch Chinese opera these days.

很少人活到100岁。

Hěn shǎo rén huó dào yìbǎi suì.

Few people live to be 100 years old.

很少人这么认为。

Hěn shǎo rén zhème rènwéi.

Few people think so.

很少学生知道他的名字。

Hěn shǎo xuésheng zhīdào tā de míngzi.

Few students knew his name.

很少有人知道怎么做。

Hěn shǎo yǒurén zhīdào zěnme zuò.

Few people know how to do it.

很少能见到像你那么好的人。

Hěn shǎo néng jiàndào xiàng nǐ nàme hǎo de rén.

It's rare to meet nice people like you.

恼一恼，老一老；笑一笑，少一少

nǎo yì nǎo, lǎo yì lǎo; xiào yí xiào, shào yí shào

get angry once, age once; laugh once, grow younger once

愁一愁,白了头;笑一笑,十年少

chóu yì chóu,báile tóu;xiào yí xiào,shínián shào

worry once and your hair turns white; laugh once and you're ten years younger

我们所知道的很少，而我们所不知道的却很多。

Wǒmen suǒ zhīdào de hěn shǎo, ér wǒmen suǒ bù zhīdào de què hěn duō.

What we know is very little, and what we don't know is a lot.

我们用少的预算旅行。

Wǒmen yòng shǎo de yùsuàn lǚxíng.

We are traveling on a tight budget.

我和邻居平时很少过往。

Wǒ hé línjū píngshí hěn shǎo guòwǎng.

I seldom have dealings with my neighbors.

我很少见到他。

Wǒ hěn shǎo jiàndào tā.

Seldom do I see him.

我很少这么生气。

Wǒ hěn shǎo zhème shēngqì.

I'm rarely this angry.

我朋友很少。

Wǒ péngyou hěn shǎo.

I have few friends.

我比以前吃得少了。

Wǒ bǐ yǐqián chī de shǎole.

I don't eat as much as I used to.

我的工资比他少多了。

Wǒ de gōngzī bǐ tā shǎo duō le.

My income is a far cry from his.

我身上的钱很少。

Wǒ shēnshang de qián hěn shǎo.

I have little money with me.

我身上钱很少。

Wǒ shēnshang qián hěn shǎo.

I have little money with me.

文字游戏很少能被翻译。

Wénzì yóuxì hěn shǎo néng bèi fānyì.

Wordplay rarely translates.

景区里的游人越来越少了。

Jǐngqū lǐ de yóurén yuèláiyuè shǎole.

There are fewer and fewer tourists in the scenic area.

最好的减肥方法就是少吃多运动。

Zuìhǎo de jiǎnféi fāngfǎ jiùshì shǎo chī duō yùndòng.

The best way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more.

有师傅带着，你就少走弯路。

Yǒu shīfu dàizhe, nǐ jiù shǎo zǒuwānlù.

With a master guiding you, you'll waste less time on wrong approaches.

朋友千个少，冤家一个多

péngyou qiān gè shǎo, yuānjia yí gè duō

a thousand friends are too few; one enemy is too many

村里的田地越来越少了。

Cūnlǐ de tiándì yuèláiyuè shǎole.

There is less and less farmland in the village.

森林里的野兽越来越少了。

Sēnlín lǐ de yěshòu yuèláiyuè shǎole.

There are fewer and fewer wild animals in the forest.