一 些 yī xiē some / a few / a little / (following an adjective) slightly ...er 一 点 yī diǎn a bit / a little / one dot / one point 有 点 yǒu diǎn a little 少 许 shǎo xǔ a little / a few 稍 稍 shāo shāo somewhat / a little / slightly 一 二 yī èr one or two / a few / a little / just a bit 些 许 xiē xǔ a few / a little / a bit 有 点 儿 yǒu diǎn r slightly / a little / somewhat 稍 许 shāo xǔ a little / a bit 有 一 点 yǒu yī diǎn a little / somewhat 差 chā difference / discrepancy / (math.) difference (amount remaining after a subtraction) / (literary) a little / somewhat / slightly 稍 shāo somewhat / a little 尕 gǎ little (dialect) 有 一 点 儿 yǒu yī diǎn r a bit / a little 啲 dī some / few / a little (Cantonese) 缓 缓 huǎn huǎn slowly / unhurriedly / little by little 悄 悄 qiāo qiāo quiet / making little or no noise / surreptitious / stealthy / anxious / worried / Taiwan pr. [qiao3 qiao3] 小 弟 xiǎo dì little brother / I, your little brother (humble) 稍 微 shāo wēi a little bit 少 量 shǎo liàng a smidgen / a little bit / a few 小 妹 xiǎo mèi little sister / girl / (Tw) young female employee working in a low-level role dealing with the public (assistant, waitress, attendant etc) 小 鬼 xiǎo guǐ little demon (term of endearment for a child) / mischievous child / imp 出 头 chū tóu to get out of a predicament / to stick out / to take the initiative / remaining odd fraction after a division / a little more than 两 下 liǎng xià twice / for a little while 极 少 jí shǎo very little / very few 点 滴 diǎn dī a drip / a little bit / intravenous drip (used to administer drugs) 略 微 lu:è wēi a little bit / slightly 点 点 滴 滴 diǎn diǎn dī dī bit by bit / dribs and drabs / the little details / every aspect 小 妹 妹 xiǎo mèi mei little sister / little girl / (coll.) vulva 稍 后 shāo hòu in a little while / in a moment / later on 小 弟 弟 xiǎo dì di little brother / little boy / (coll.) penis 小 样 xiǎo yàng galley proof (printing) / unimpressive / (coll.) little guy (mild insult also used as an affectionate term) 无 几 wú jǐ very little / hardly any 节 节 jié jié step by step / little by little 殊 不 知 shū bù zhī little imagined / scarcely realized 小 公 主 xiǎo gōng zhǔ lit. little princess / fig. spoiled girl / female version of 小皇帝[xiao3 huang2 di4] 半 分 bàn fēn a little bit 一 点 一 滴 yī diǎn yī dī bit by bit / every little bit 妞 妞 niū niu little girl 鸡 肋 jī lèi chicken ribs / sth of little value or interest / sth of dubious worth that one is reluctant to give up / to be physically weak 小 指 xiǎo zhǐ little finger 不 值 钱 bù zhí qián of little value 铃 铛 líng dang little bell / CL:隻|只[zhi1] 微 乎 其 微 wēi hū qí wēi a tiny bit / very little / next to nothing (idiom) 囡 囡 nān nān little darling / baby 甚 微 shèn wēi very small / very little / scant / minimal 白 鹭 bái lù (bird species of China) little egret (Egretta garzetta) 贤 弟 xián dì worthy little brother 妮 子 nī zi (coll.) lass / (dialect) little girl 小 儿 科 xiǎo ér kē pediatrics / pediatric (department) / sth of little importance / trifle / a child's play / (slang) childish / petty / stingy 细 水 长 流 xì shuǐ cháng liú lit. thin streams flow forever / fig. economy will get you a long way / to work steadily at something little by little 猴 儿 hóu ér little devil 诀 别 jué bié to bid farewell / to part (usually with little hope of meeting again) 稍 早 shāo zǎo a little early 人 鱼 小 姐 rén yú xiǎo jie mermaid / the Little Mermaid 一 点 点 yī diǎn diǎn a little bit 一 时 半 刻 yī shí bàn kè a short time / a little while 黄 毛 丫 头 huáng máo yā tou silly little girl 逐 次 zhú cì gradually / one after another / little by little 折 枝 zhé zhī massage / snapped-off branch / sprig / to snap a twig (i.e. sth that requires very little effort) 因 小 失 大 yīn xiǎo shī dà to save a little only to lose a lot (idiom) 贫 下 中 农 pín xià zhōng nóng (category defined by the Communist Party) poor and lower-middle peasants: farmers who, before land reform, possessed little or no land (poor peasants) and those who were barely able to support themselves with their own land (lower-middle peasants) 小 拇 指 xiǎo mǔ zhǐ little finger / pinkie 小 过 xiǎo guò little mistake / minor offense / slightly too much 四 小 龙 Sì Xiǎo lóng Four Asian Tigers / East Asian Tigers / Four Little Dragons (East Asian economic powers: Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong) 积 少 成 多 jī shǎo chéng duō (idiom) many little things add up to sth great / many little drops make an ocean 劳 而 无 功 láo ér wú gōng to work hard while accomplishing little / to toil to no avail 令 弟 lìng dì honorable little brother 冒 头 mào tóu to emerge / to crop up / a little more than 轻 车 简 从 qīng chē jiǎn cóng (of an official) to travel with little luggage and just a small escort / to travel without ostentation 稚 女 zhì nu:3 little girl (of toddler age) 万 丈 高 楼 平 地 起 wàn zhàng gāo lóu píng dì qǐ towering buildings are built up from the ground (idiom) / great oaks from little acorns grow 顷 qǐng unit of area equal to 100 畝|亩[mu3] or 6.67 hectares / a short while / a little while ago / circa. (for approximate dates) 臾 yú a moment / little while 厣 yǎn operculum (Latin: little lid) / a covering flap (in various branches of anatomy) 鲔 wěi little tuna / Euthynnus alletteratus 眼 高 手 低 yǎn gāo shǒu dī to have high standards but little ability / to be fastidious but incompetent (idiom) 一 来 二 去 yī lái èr qù gradually / little by little / in the course of time 一 时 半 晌 yī shí bàn shǎng a short time / a little while 一 时 半 霎 yī shí bàn shà a short time / a little while 一 本 万 利 yī běn wàn lì small capital, huge profit (idiom) / to put in a little and get a lot out 因 人 成 事 yīn rén chéng shì to get things done relying on others (idiom) / with a little help from his friends 失 道 寡 助 shī dào guǎ zhù an unjust cause finds little support (idiom, from Mencius) / cf 得道多助[de2 dao4 duo1 zhu4] a just cause attracts much support 小 惩 大 诫 xiǎo chéng dà jiè lit. to punish a little to prevent a lot (idiom) / to criticize former mistakes firmly to prevent large scale repetition 少 见 多 怪 shǎo jiàn duō guài lit. a person who has seen little of the world will be be astonished by certain things (idiom) / fig. to be taken aback by sth because of one's lack of sophistication / naive / unworldy 顺 水 人 情 shùn shuǐ rén qíng to do sb a favor at little cost 纲 举 目 张 gāng jǔ mù zhāng if you lift the headrope the meshes spread open (idiom) / take care of the big things and the little things will take care of themselves / (of a piece of writing) well-structured and ordered 小 鸟 依 人 xiǎo niǎo yī rén lit. like a little bird relying on people (idiom) / fig. cute and helpless-looking 一 琴 一 鹤 yī qín yī hè carrying very little luggage (idiom) / honest and incorruptible (government officials) 女 大 十 八 变 nu:3 dà shí bā biàn lit. a girl changes eighteen times between childhood and womanhood (idiom) / fig. a young woman is very different from the little girl she once was 略 知 一 二 lu:è zhī yī èr to know just a little / to have a rough idea 一 点 一 点 yī diǎn yī diǎn little by little / bit by bit / gradually 小 义 大 利 xiǎo yì dà lì Little Italy 小 脏 鬼 xiǎo zāng guǐ dirty little devil (affectionate, of child) 豵 zōng litter of pigs / little pig 一 时 半 会 yī shí bàn huì a short time / a little while 一 时 半 会 儿 yī shí bàn huì r a short time / a little while 凡 近 fán jìn with little learning 坏 包 儿 huài bāo r rascal / rogue / little devil (term of endearment) 大 才 小 用 dà cái xiǎo yòng lit. making little use of great talent / to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut