(xiǎo zǔ) - small group, team, working party in Mandarin
xiǎozǔTraditional: 小組
Translation
small group, team, working party
Word origin
A compound of 小 (xiǎo, small) and 组 (zǔ, group, to organise, written with the 纟silk radical and 且 as phonetic).
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 小 (xiǎo, small) + 组 (zǔ, group)
Stroke order
小
组
Examples
。
We split into four groups.
。
This group has only five people.
。
The teacher asked each group to discuss it first.
。
He is the leader of our group.
。
The group meeting is at three in the afternoon.
小组 (xiǎo zǔ) is an organised subdivision of a larger body: a study group in a class, a working party in an office, a group in a tournament. Someone has deliberately divided people up, and this is the result.
That is the trap. It does not mean a small group in the loose English sense of a few people who happen to be together. Three friends at a table are not a 小组; they are 几个人. The word implies structure, which is why it collocates with 分成, 组长 and 会议.
Note also that the classifier is 个 and the leader is 组长, built on the same 组. When the unit is a company team rather than a formal subdivision, 团队 is the more natural modern word.
Where this fits
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Go to my review queueMandarin · Free printables
小组: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "小组" (small group, team, working party): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 46.