剩余

• Pinyin: shèng yú
• Hanzi breakdown: 剩 = 乘 + 刀 (what remains after division, a leftover); 余 = 人 + 木 (surplus, what is left over)

Meaning

Remaining; surplus; leftover — referring to what is left over after the main portion has been used, spent, or allocated.

Can function as a verb, adjective, or noun. Used across many domains: 剩余价值 (surplus value, Marxist economics), 剩余物资 (surplus materials), 剩余时间 (remaining time), 剩余资金 (remaining funds). Common in administrative, economic, and everyday contexts. More formal and precise than 多余 or 还剩.

Examples

1. 项目预算执行完毕后，财务部门对所有剩余资金进行了统一归集，按规定上缴主管部门。 After the project budget was fully executed, the finance department consolidated all remaining funds and, as required, turned them over to the supervising authority.
2. 工厂在完成主要生产订单后，对剩余原材料进行了重新盘点，以便合理安排下一阶段的生产计划。 After completing the main production orders, the factory took stock of the remaining raw materials again so it could plan the next phase of production reasonably.
3. 他的演讲核心内容已全部呈现完毕，剩余时间用于解答听众的提问和互动交流。 He had already presented all the key points of his speech, and the remaining time was used to answer questions and interact with the audience.

Usage Guide

Context: administration, economics, planning, everyday life

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 合理利用剩余产能是企业降低边际成本的有效手段，在市场需求周期性波动的行业中这一做法尤为重要。(Making rational use of surplus capacity is an effective means for enterprises to reduce marginal costs, a practice that is especially important in industries where market demand fluctuates cyclically.)
• 政府公布了本年度预算执行报告，详细说明了各部门的经费使用情况及剩余资金的统一处置方案。(The government published this year's budget execution report, detailing each department's expenditure and the unified disposal plan for remaining funds.)

Don't Say

• 剩余 to mean extra resources being additionally provided — 剩余 specifically refers to what is left after something has been used or allocated; use 额外 or 多余 for resources that are surplus to requirements from the outset

Origin & History

剩 (to remain, to be left over) + 余 (surplus, remainder)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal