精简

• Pinyin: jīng jiǎn
• Hanzi breakdown: 精 = 米 (rice) + 青 (blue/green), refined; 简 = 竹 (bamboo) + 间 (between), simple

Meaning

To streamline; to simplify; to cut down on unnecessary elements.

Used for reducing complexity, eliminating redundancy, or making things more efficient. Common in contexts of organizational reform, text editing, or process improvement. Implies making something leaner while retaining what's essential.

Examples

1. 政府正在精简行政审批流程，方便企业办事。 The government is streamlining administrative approval processes to make things easier for businesses.
2. 这篇文章太冗长了，需要精简一下。 This article is too long and needs to be condensed.
3. 公司决定精简机构，裁撤了三个部门。 The company decided to streamline its structure and eliminated three departments.

Usage Guide

Context: government, business, editing

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我们需要精简会议时间，提高效率。(We need to streamline meeting times to improve efficiency.)
• 这份报告请精简到两页以内。(Please condense this report to under two pages.)

Don't Say

• 把你的朋友圈精简一下。(Sounds odd for personal relationships — use 清理 instead)

Origin & History

Combines 精 (refined, essential) with 简 (simple, abbreviated). Together they mean to refine by simplifying.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal