缩短

• Pinyin: suō duǎn
• Hanzi breakdown: 缩 = 纟(silk) + 宿 (to stay overnight, phonetic), meaning to shrink; 短 = 矢 (arrow) + 豆 (bean), meaning short

Meaning

To shorten; to reduce; to cut short. Making something shorter in time or length.

Used for reducing the duration, distance, or length of something. Commonly applied to time (缩短时间), distance (缩短距离), or gaps (缩短差距). More formal than 减少 when specifically referring to shortening.

Examples

1. 新的高铁大大缩短了两个城市之间的距离。 The new high-speed rail has greatly shortened the distance between the two cities.
2. 公司决定缩短员工的加班时间。 The company decided to reduce employees' overtime hours.
3. 通过努力，他缩短了和第一名的差距。 Through hard work, he narrowed the gap with first place.

Usage Guide

Context: transportation, business, everyday

Tone: practical

Do Say

• 这个方法可以缩短做饭的时间。(This method can shorten cooking time.)
• 我们需要想办法缩短项目的周期。(We need to find a way to shorten the project timeline.)

Don't Say

• 请缩短这条裤子。(While understandable, for physical tailoring use 改短 — 缩短 is more abstract, for time, distance, or gaps.)

Origin & History

Compound of 缩 (to shrink, to contract) and 短 (short), meaning to make something shorter.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal