稍 (shāo): somewhat, a little, used in 稍息[shao4 xi1]
稍 (shāo) is a Chinese character meaning “somewhat.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 禾 (structural) and 肖 (structural). It ranks #1365 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 稍 resembling 肖 grain 禾; 肖 also provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 禾 (grain) appears in many related characters such as 秋 (qiū, autumn), 科 (kē, branch of study), 租 (zū, to hire).
Definitions
- somewhat
- a little
- used in 稍息[shao4 xi1]
Etymology & Origin
ideographicResembling 肖 grain 禾; 肖 also provides the pronunciation
Decomposition: ⿰禾肖 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 稍 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 稍
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 稍后 | shāo hòu | in a little while |
| 稍稍 | shāo shāo | somewhat |
| 稍候 | shāo hòu | to wait a moment |
| 稍息 | shào xī | (military) Stand at ease! |
| 稍纵即逝 | shāo zòng jí shì | transient |
| 稍许 | shāo xǔ | a little |
| 稍早时 | shāo zǎo shí | a little earlier |
| 稍等 | shāo děng | to wait a moment |
| 稍快板 | shāo kuài bǎn | allegretto |
| 稍早 | shāo zǎo | a little early |
| 稍食 | shāo shí | (old) monthly salary of an official |
| 稍异 | shāo yì | differing slightly |
| 稍安毋躁 | shāo ān wú zào | variant of 少安毋躁[shao3 an1 wu2 zao4] |
| 稍嫌 | shāo xián | more than one would wish |
| 稍安勿躁 | shāo ān wù zào | variant of 少安毋躁[shao3 an1 wu2 zao4] |
稍 appears in 16 compound words: 100 as the first character, 0 as the last, and 0 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 稍 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (2)
Example Sentences
请稍等片刻，我马上就好。
Qǐng shāo děng piànkè, wǒ mǎshàng jiù hǎo.
Please wait a moment; I'll be ready soon.
明天天气/锋面通过!北台稍有凉意 “连3天有雨”范围曝
míng tiān tiān qì fēng miàn tōng guò ! běi tái shāo yǒu liáng yì lián 3 tiān yǒu yǔ fàn wéi pù
Tomorrow's Weather: A Cold Front Is Passing Through! Slightly Cooler in Northern Taiwan; "Three Days of Rain" Area Revealed
特朗普10%全球關稅正式生效 白宮:稍後將提高至15%
tè lǎng pǔ quán qiú 關 稅 zhèng shì shēng xiào bái 宮 shāo 後 將 tí gāo zhì
[Translation pending - API quota exceeded]
请您稍后再来好吗？
Qǐng nín shāohòu zài lái hǎo ma?
Would you please come again later?
你们能稍微讲慢点么？
Nǐmen néng shāowēi jiǎng màn diǎn me?
Can you speak a little slower please?
有没有比这些稍微大一点的？
Yǒuméiyǒu bǐ zhèxiē shāowēi dàyī diǎn de?
Do you have one a little bigger than these?
你能稍微告诉我关于自己的事情吗？
Nǐ néng shāowēi gàosu wǒ guānyú zìjǐ de shìqing ma?
Can you tell me a little about yourself?
稍微等一等，马上就好！
Shāowēi děngyideng, mǎshàng jiù hǎo!
Wait just a little bit. It'll be done immediately.
你可以稍后回电给我吗?
Nǐ kěyǐ shāohòu huídiàn gěi wǒ ma?
Could you call me back a bit later?
这种颜色比那种稍微深一点。
Zhèzhǒng yánsè bǐ nàzhǒng shāowēi shēn yīdiǎn.
This color is a bit darker than that one.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 稍 (shāo) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 稍 have?
What is the radical of 稍?
What are the components of 稍?
What are common words containing 稍?
What characters sound the same as 稍 (shāo)?
Is 稍 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 稍 with real-time feedback
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