Chinese word

稍稍

Pronunciation

Pinyinshāo shāo

Meaning

  • adverba little

Example

请稍稍等一下。qǐng shāo shāo děng yí xià

Please wait just a little.

Illustration for 稍稍 (a little)

More examples

工作了一上午，先稍稍休息一下再继续。gōng zuò le yí shàng wǔ xiān shāo shāo xiū xī yí xià zài jì xù

I worked all morning, so I'll rest a little before continuing.

Core concept

A light touch on an action or quality, with little force or a short span.

Common phrases

  • 稍稍休息shāo shāo xiū xī

    rest a little

  • 稍稍提高shāo shāo tí gāo

    rise slightly

  • 稍稍注意shāo shāo zhù yì

    pay a little attention

Similar words

稍微shāo wēi: Just slightly, indicating a small and generally neutral degree.
有点儿yóu diǎnr: A little or somewhat, especially when easing a mildly negative evaluation.
一点儿yì diǎnr: A little in quantity or duration, especially in informal speech.

Definition in Chinese

表示程度上有一点点，含义轻微且较中性，常位于动词或形容词前，表示短暂或微弱的变化或动作。biǎo shì chéng dù shàng yǒu yì dián diǎn hán yì qīng wēi qiě jiào zhōng xìng cháng wèi yú dòng cí huò xíng róng cí qián biǎo shì duǎn zàn huò wēi ruò de biàn huà huò dòng zuò

Word origin

In 稍稍 (shāoshāo, "a little"), the repeated 稍 (shāo, "slightly") makes the small degree apply directly to a nearby action or quality.

Usage tips

  • The adverb can make a short request sound less abrupt by presenting the requested action as limited rather than demanding.

Other meanings

  • somewhatadverb
  • slightlyadverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word