Discussion of 至少

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起码 vs 至少 vs 最少

1. 起码 (minimum, elementary, rudimentary) is very informal and it can be an adjective or an adverb. The fact that 起码 can be an adjective means that, 1) it can modify a noun, and 2) it can be modified by another adverb indicating extent:
Examples:
起码的常识 r/s [n] elementary common sense
最起码 -/- [adj] minimum, least

2. 至少 is less informal and it can only be an adverb. This means 至少 cannot be used in the two examples above.

3. 最少 is "the least"; In these two examples below, we can only use 最少:
Examples:
他干最少的活儿，却拿最多的工资。 r/- [phr] He does the very minimum work, but gets the most salary.
青海省的人口则是最少的。 -/- [phr] The Qinghai Province has the least population.

lisaC

Are there any synonyms of 至少 (zhìshǎo) that I should be aware of?

个学生

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How is 至少 (zhìshǎo) typically used in a sentence?

个学生

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至少 (zhìshǎo) is typically used to express the idea of "at least" in a sentence. For example, one might say: 我至少要去三次 (wǒ zhìshǎo yào qù sān cì), which translates to "I have to go at least three times". It can also be used to express the idea of "no less than" or "not fewer than". For example, one might say: 我们至少要有五个人 (wǒmen zhìshǎo yào yǒu wǔ gè rén), which translates to "We must have no fewer than five people".

当老师

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