削减 (xuē jiǎn) is a transitive verb meaning 'to cut down' or 'to reduce', typically used for quantities, budgets, staff, resources, or abstract things like risks or emissions. It combines 削 (xuē), which means 'to pare away' or 'to whittle down', and 减 (jiǎn), meaning 'to decrease' or 'to subtract'. Together, they form a compound emphasizing deliberate, often formal or systematic reduction — not casual or temporary diminishment.

This word appears frequently in official, economic, medical, and environmental contexts: governments announce budget cuts, hospitals reduce staffing, and public health campaigns aim to cut down sugar intake. It carries a neutral-to-formal register and implies intentionality and measurable impact. Unlike more colloquial terms like 少一点 (shǎo yīdiǎn), 削减 suggests structured, policy-level action and is rarely used for personal, emotional, or physical changes (e.g., you wouldn’t say 削减体重; use 减少 or 减轻 instead).