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Expressing 'very few' or 'seldom' with 很少 (hěnshǎo)
Frequency & Habit
Numbers & Quantity
Structure
很少 + Verb; 很少 + Noun
Explanation
很少 (hěnshǎo) means "very few" when describing quantity or "seldom/rarely" when describing frequency. It can modify nouns to indicate a small number or precede verbs to indicate that an action happens infrequently. It is a common and versatile expression in everyday Chinese.
Examples
他很少迟到，今天不知道怎么了。
tā hěn shǎo chídào, jīntiān bù zhīdào zěnme le.
He rarely arrives late; I don't know what happened today.
这种植物在北方很少见到。
zhè zhǒng zhíwù zài běifāng hěn shǎo jiàn dào.
This type of plant is rarely seen in the north.
她很少吃甜食，因为在控制体重。
tā hěn shǎo chī tiánshí, yīnwèi zài kòngzhì tǐzhòng.
She rarely eats sweets because she's watching her weight.