缺少

• Pinyin: quē shǎo
• Hanzi breakdown: 缺 = 缶 (jar) + 夬 (break), meaning lacking; 少 = 小 (small) with a stroke removed, meaning few or little

Meaning

To lack; to be deficient in; to be short of. A slightly more formal way of saying something is missing or insufficient.

Similar to 缺 but slightly more formal and often used for abstract things or larger-scale deficiencies. Common in writing and formal speech: 缺少资金 (lacking funds), 缺少经验 (lacking experience), 缺少关爱 (lacking care). Can take an object directly. Interchangeable with 缺乏 in many contexts.

Examples

1. 这个项目缺少足够的资金支持。 This project lacks sufficient funding support.
2. 他缺少和别人交流的经验。 He lacks experience in communicating with others.
3. 生活中不能缺少朋友。 Life cannot be without friends.

Usage Guide

Context: analysis, problems, descriptions

Tone: analytical

Do Say

• 我们缺少一个好的计划。(We lack a good plan.)
• 成功不能缺少努力和坚持。(Success cannot do without effort and persistence.)

Don't Say

• 我缺少吃饭。(Don't use 缺少 with verbs — it takes noun objects. Say 我还没吃饭 for 'I haven't eaten' or 我缺少食物 for 'I lack food.')

Origin & History

缺 means to lack; 少 means few or insufficient. Together they reinforce the meaning of having too little of something — a double emphasis on deficiency.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal