Chinese word

少数

Pronunciation

Pinyinshǎo shù

Meaning

  • adjectivefew

Example

只有少数人同意这个建议。zhí yǒu shǎo shù rén tóng yì zhè ge jiàn yì

Only a few people agree with this suggestion.

Illustration for 少数 (few)

More examples

研讨会上，少数人坚持不同意见。yán tǎo huì shàng shǎo shù rén jiān chí bù tóng yì jiàn

At the seminar, a few people maintained a different view.

Core concept

A small part of a larger group, with most members left outside it.

Common phrases

  • 少数人shǎo shù rén

    a few people

  • 少数民族shǎo shù mín zú

    ethnic minority

Similar words

少shǎo: Describes a small amount or number of people or things.
很少hén shǎo: Describes a quantity or frequency that is extremely low.

Definition in Chinese

指在某一总体中仅有为数不多的个体、意见或项目，用来描述稀少的数量或人数。zhǐ zài mǒu yì zóng tǐ zhōng jǐn yǒu wéi shù bù duō de gè tǐ yì jiàn huò xiàng mù yòng lái miáo shù xī shǎo de shù liàng huò rén shù

Word origin

少 (shǎo, "small in amount") + 数 (shù, "number") combines to mark only a small part of a group.

Usage tips

  • It commonly comes directly before the noun it describes, so Chinese places this quantity word before the people or things being counted.

Opposites

Related words

  • 少数派shǎo shù pàiminority factionnoun

Word lists with this word