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.

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

我妈让我少吃辣。Wǒ mā ràng wǒ shǎo chī là.My mother tells me to eat less spicy food.
你应该少抽烟。Nǐ yīnggāi shǎo chōuyān.You should smoke less.
少喝点，下午还要上班呢。Shǎo hē diǎn, xiàwǔ háiyào shàngbān ne.Don't drink so much. You're going back to work this afternoon.
少吃垃圾食品。Shǎo chī lājī shípǐn.Eat junk food less.
少废话，快说吧。Shǎo fèihuà, kuài shuō ba.Cut the crap. Spill it out.
肉太贵了，少点一些。Ròu tài guì le, shǎo diǎn yīxiē. Meat is too expensive. Don't order too much.
少买点，吃不完会坏的。Shǎo mǎi diǎn, chī bù wán huì huài de.Don't buy too much. It will go bad if we can't finish eating all.
你能不能让他少放点盐？Nǐ néng bu néng ràng tā shǎo fàng diǎn yán?Can you tell him to put salt less?
少看电视，多看书。Shǎo kàn diànshì, duō kànshū. Watch TV less. Read more.
医生让我少熬夜，多休息。Yīshēng ràng wǒ shǎo áoyè, duō xiūxi.The doctor told me to stay up less and take more rest.

Structure

Examples

See also

Sources and further reading

Books