English–Chinese

“shorten” in Chinese

Chinese

Pronunciation

Pinyinsuō duǎn

Example

我们把会议时间缩短到一小时。wǒ men bǎ huì yì shí jiān suō duǎn dào yì xiǎo shí

We shorten the meeting time to one hour.

Illustration for 缩短 (shorten)

How to say “shorten” in Chinese

“Shorten” in Chinese is 缩短 (suō duǎn).

Moves the endpoint of a period or process closer, leaving a shorter span from start to finish.

Full entry for 缩短: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with 缩短

公司决定缩短试用期。gōng sī jué dìng suō duǎn shì yòng qī

The company decided to shorten the probationary period.

Tips for using 缩短

  • English speakers often use "cut" for this idea, but this verb naturally describes making a planned duration shorter, such as reducing a meeting from two hours to one.

“shorten” in other languages