DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

少來

简少来 · 繁少來

Mandarin · pinyin shǎo lái

refrain (from doing sth)
(coll.) Come on!
Give me a break!
Save it!

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Characters in this entry

少: shǎo · few, less, inadequate
來: lái · come, coming; return, returning
来: lái · come, coming; return, returning

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–2 · shao3 lai2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

少來 · find source passages ↗ · 少来 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 6 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

intj

come on!; give me a break!; save it!

verb

to come less often
to do less; to add less; to bring less
to refrain (from doing something)
to be sparing (in doing something)

adv

(literary) always; all along; hitherto

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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