| duǎn | lack/short |
| 短 | short or brief to lack weak point |
| 短不了 | cannot do without |
| 短中取长 | see 短中抽長|短中抽长 |
| 短中抽长 | to make the best of a bad job to make the best use of limited resources (idiom) |
| 短传 | short pass (in ball game) |
| 短促 | short in time fleeting brief |
| 短信 | text message SMS |
| 短信息 | short message |
| 短债 | short term loan |
| 短元音 | short vowel |
| 短兵相接 | lit. short-weaponed soldiery fight one another (idiom); fierce hand-to-hand infantry combat to fight at close quarters |
| 短击 | a short straight |
| 短刀 | a dagger; a short sword |
| 短剑 | dagger |
| 短剧 | playlet; short play |
| 短卸 | short shipment; short-landed |
| 短发 | bob; shingle |
| 短发式 | a bob |
| 短句 | clause |
| 短号 | cornet; cornopean; cornet-a'-pistons |