The word **少量 (shǎoliàng)**, meaning "a small amount" or "a little," is a compound formed by the direct combination of two meaningful characters: **少 (shǎo)**, which means "few" or "little," and **量 (liàng)**, which means "quantity" or "amount." It follows a common adjective-noun grammatical structure in Chinese, where the descriptive element (**少**) modifies the core noun (**量**), creating a new, specific concept that literally translates to "little quantity." This formation is typical of modern Chinese vocabulary, where two-character compounds are built for clarity and precision from simpler, classical monosyllabic roots.