Meaning of 缩短
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to shorten; to reduce; to curtail
How to use 缩短
缩短 is used for making time, distance, or length shorter, such as a trip, a meeting, a gap, or a waiting time. It often takes an object directly or is followed by a result like 了. Example: 新地铁缩短了上班时间。(Xīn dìtiě suōduǎn le shàngbān shíjiān.) The new subway shortened the commute.
缩 (suō) means to shrink or pull back, and 短 (duǎn) means short. When something shrinks, it becomes short, so 缩短 means to shorten or cut down.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 缩短 with 缩小 (suōxiǎo). 缩短 is for length or time, while 缩小 is for size, scope, or area, so say 缩小范围, not 缩短范围. Also keep the first tone on 缩 (suō); it is not suǒ.
缩短 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
缩 suō · to withdraw · 14 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
短 duǎn · short · 12 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
Related words
Words that share a character with 缩短.
| 短信 | duǎnxìn | text message; SMS |
| 短裤 | duǎnkù | short pants; shorts |
| 短期 | duǎnqī | short-term |
| 短处 | duǎnchù | shortcoming; defect |
| 缩小 | suōxiǎo | to reduce; to decrease; to shrink |
| 短片 | duǎnpiàn | short film; video clip |
| 长短 | chángduǎn | length; accident; mishap |
| 短暂 | duǎnzàn | of short duration; brief; momentary |
| 退缩 | tuìsuō | to shrink back; to cower |
| 简短 | jiǎnduǎn | brief (statement, summary etc); briefly |
| 收缩 | shōusuō | to pull back; to shrink |
| 短缺 | duǎnquē | shortage |
Questions about 缩短
What does 缩短 mean?
缩短 (suōduǎn) means "to shorten; to reduce; to curtail" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 缩短?
缩短 is made of 2 characters: 缩 (14 strokes), 短 (12 strokes). That is 26 strokes in total.
Is 缩短 an HSK word?
Yes. 缩短 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 缩短 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 缩短 is written 縮短.
Can I use 缩短 to say I made an essay shorter?
Yes. 把文章缩短一点 (bǎ wénzhāng suōduǎn yìdiǎn) means to make the article a bit shorter. For trimming words you may also hear 删减 (shānjiǎn).
What is the opposite of 缩短?
The common opposite is 延长 (yáncháng), meaning to extend or lengthen. For example, 延长时间 means to extend the time, and 缩短时间 means to shorten it.