1DET (数量上)微少的,少到几乎没有的(可用so,too,very修饰) You use little to indicate that there is only a very small amount of something. You can use 'so', 'too', and 'very' in front of little. (数量上)微少的,少到几乎没有的(可用so,too,very修饰)
I had little money and little free time.
我没什么钱,也没多少空闲时间。
I find that I need very little sleep these days.
我发现最近我只需要睡很少时间。
There is little doubt that a diet high in fibre is more satisfying.
毫无疑问,高纤维的饮食更尽人意。
So far little progress has been made towards ending the fighting.
到目前为止,在结束交战方面还没取得什么进展。
The pudding is quick and easy and needs little attention once in the oven.
这种布丁做起来简单快捷,放到烤箱里之后就不用操什么心了。
Little is also a quantifier.
Little of the existing housing is of good enough quality.
现有的住房几乎少有质量过关的。
They claim that little of the $16.5 million dollars in aid sent by the US government has reached them.
他们声称美国政府提供的1,650万美元资助到他们手上时已所剩无几。
Little is also a pronoun.
He ate little, and drank less.
他没吃什么东西,更没喝什么。
In general, employers do little to help the single working mother.
一般而言,雇主很少为工作的单亲妈妈提供帮助。
Little is known about his childhood.
对他的童年所知甚少。
2ADV-GRADED [ADVERB with verb](频率或程度)微小地,小到几乎没有地Little means not very often or to only a small extent. (频率或程度)微小地,小到几乎没有地
On their way back to Marseille they spoke very little.
返回马赛的路上,他们没怎么说话。
Only Africa is at present little affected by hard drugs.
3DET (数量上)不多的(亦作a very little)A little of something is a small amount of it, but not very much. You can also say a very little. (数量上)不多的(亦作a very little)
Mrs Caan needs a little help getting her groceries home.
卡安太太需要有人帮把手将食品杂货拿回家。
A little food would do us all some good.
吃点东西,对我们大家都会有好处。
...a little light reading.
一点消遣性的阅读
I shall be only a very little time.
我很快就好。
Little is also a pronoun.
They get paid for it. Not much. Just a little.
他们干这是有报酬的。不多,只有一点。
Little is also a quantifier.
Pour a little of the sauce over the chicken.
在鸡肉上浇一点调味汁。
I'm sure she won't mind sparing us a little of her time.
我肯定她不会介意为我们抽点时间。
4ADV-GRADED [ADVERB after verb]短时间地;一会儿地 If you do something a little, you do it for a short time. 短时间地;一会儿地
He walked a little by himself in the garden.
他一个人在花园里散了一会儿步。
SYN to a small extent, slightly, to some extent, to a certain extent
5ADV-GRADED [ADVERB after verb, ADVERB adjective/adverb] [ADVERB with verb](程度上)一点地,少量地A little or a little bit means to a small extent or degree. (程度上)一点地,少量地
He complained a little of a nagging pain between his shoulder blades.
他有几句提到说肩胛骨之间一直在疼。
He was a little bit afraid of his father's reaction.
他有点害怕父亲的反应。
If you have to drive when you are tired, go a little more slowly than you would normally.
如果不得不疲劳驾驶,那就开得比平时慢一点。
He wanted to have someone to whom he could talk a little about himself.
You can use the adjective little to talk about things that are small. ...a little house. ...little children. However, little is not normally used to emphasize or draw attention to the fact that something is small. For instance, you do not usually say 'The town is little' or 'I have a very little car', but you can say The town is small' or I have a very small car'. Little is a less precise word than small, and may be used to suggest the speaker's feelings or attitude towards the person or thing being described. For that reason, little is often used after another adjective. What a nice little house you've got here!... Shut up, you horrible little boy! Little and a little are both used as determiners in front of uncount nouns, but they do not have the same meaning. For example, if you say 'I have a little money', this is a positive statement and you are saying that you have some money. However, if you say 'I have little money', this is a negative statement and you are saying that you have almost no money.
little作形容词时表示“小的”,如:a little house(小房子),little children(小孩子)。但little一般不用于强调某物之小,如通常不会说 The town is little或 I have a very little car, 但可以说The town is small(这个城镇很小)或 I have a very small car(我有一辆很小的汽车)。little不如small精确,而且可用于表示说话人对于所谈论的人或物的感情或态度。因而,little常跟在另一个形容词之后,如:What a nice little house you've got here(你这小房子真漂亮啊),Shut up, you horrible little boy(闭嘴,你这个讨厌的小家伙)。little和a little都可用作限定词修饰不可数名词,但其含义不同。例如,I have a little money(我有一点钱)是肯定陈述,表示有一些钱,而I have little money(我没什么钱)是否定陈述,表示几乎没钱。
Quotations
Little things affect little mindsBenjamin DisraeliSybil
The comparative littler and the superlative littlest are sometimes used in spoken English for meanings 1, 3, and 4, but otherwise the comparative and superlative forms of the adjective little are not used.