Doing something less with "shao"

Often heard when scolding or giving advice (like when parents talk to children) is 少 (shǎo), which can mean "to do less of something."

Structure

Just as you can use 多 to talk about doing something more, you can use 少 to talk about doing something less.

Subj. + 少 + Verb + Obj.

Note that in English we don't use the word "less" so much. For example, rather than saying "drink less water," we might say "don't drink so much water." In Chinese, though, using 少 is quite natural and common. Avoiding the negative command (telling someone not to do something) is also a subtle way of sounding less bossy and annoying.

Examples

• 废话 少 说！Fèihuà shǎo shuō!Speak less nonsense!
• 你 应该 少 抽 烟！Nǐ yīnggāi shǎo chōuyān!You should smoke less!
• 学 中文 的 学生 需要 少 说 英文。Xué Zhōngwén de xuésheng xūyào shǎo shuō Yīngwén.Students learning Chinese need to speak English less.

See also

• Doing something more with "duo"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 39) →buy

HSK4