缩小

• Pinyin: suō xiǎo
• Hanzi breakdown: 缩 = 纟(silk) + 宿 (phonetic), meaning to shrink; 小 = pictograph of three small dots, meaning small

Meaning

To reduce; to shrink; to make smaller in size or scale.

Used for making something physically smaller, reducing the scale or scope of something, or narrowing differences. The opposite is 扩大 (to expand). Commonly used with 范围 (scope), 差距 (gap), and 规模 (scale).

Examples

1. 请把这张图片缩小一点再发给我。 Please reduce this image a bit before sending it to me.
2. 警方正在缩小搜索范围。 The police are narrowing the search area.
3. 城市和农村之间的收入差距正在逐渐缩小。 The income gap between urban and rural areas is gradually shrinking.

Usage Guide

Context: technology, everyday, analysis

Tone: practical

Do Say

• 你可以用鼠标滚轮缩小地图。(You can use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom out the map.)
• 我们要想办法缩小和对手的差距。(We need to find a way to narrow the gap with our competitors.)

Don't Say

• 我想缩小我的体重。(Don't use 缩小 for body weight — use 减轻 or 减少. 缩小 is for size and scale, not weight.)

Origin & History

Compound of 缩 (to shrink, to contract) and 小 (small), meaning to make something smaller.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal