Definition
寥寥 is a reduplicated adjective meaning 'very few' or 'scanty'. It often appears in fixed phrases like 寥寥无几 (extremely few) and 寥寥数语 (a few brief words). The reduplication emphasizes the smallness or scarcity. It can describe people, things, or words, and carries a literary or formal tone.
r.f.
very fewscantysparse
Examples
- ，。Huìchǎng lǐ liáo liáo wú jǐ, zhǐyǒu shí jǐ ge rén.There were very few people in the venue — only a dozen or so.
- 寥寥。Tā zhǐ yòng liáo liáo shù yǔ jiù jiěshì qīngchu le.He explained it clearly with just a few brief words.
- 寥寥，。Shāmò zhōng liáo liáo jǐ kē kū shù, xiǎn de géwài huāngliáng.A few withered trees in the desert looked especially desolate.
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