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Chinese/Dictionary entry

以少胜多

yǐ shǎo shèng duōdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
using the few to defeat the many (idiom) / to win from a position of weakness
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-0949604ee4570505. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

以少勝多 以少胜多 [yi3 shao3 sheng4 duo1] /using the few to defeat the many (idiom); to win from a position of weakness/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 以少勝多

  • 以
    yǐ

    to use / by means of / according to / in order to / because of / at (a certain date or place)

    Yǐ

    abbr. for Israel 以色列[Yǐ sè liè]

  • 少
    shǎo

    few / less / to lack / to be missing / to stop (doing sth) / seldom

    shào

    young

  • 胜
    shèng

    victory / success / to beat / to defeat / to surpass / victorious / superior to / to get the better of / better than / surpassing / superb (of vista) / beautiful (scenery) / wonderful (view) / (Taiwan pr. [shēng]) able to bear / equal to (a task)

  • 多
    duō

    many / much / more / a lot of / too many / in excess / (after a numeral) ... odd / how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. [duó]) / (bound form) multi- / poly-

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.