Using "ji" to mean "several"

One of the definitions of the common character 几 (jǐ) is "several," "a couple" or "a few." It's an uncertain number that is at least more than one, but less than ten.

几 can be used to mean a few specific things

The simplest way to use 几 (jǐ) is to use it directly with a measure word. It means "a few," less than ten or so, things.

Structure

几 + Measure Word + Noun

Examples

• 桌子 上 有 几 本 书。Zhuōzi shàng yǒu jǐ běn shū.There are a few books on the table.
• 只有 几 个 人 去 了 那 个 聚会。Zhǐyǒu jǐ gè rén qù le nà gè jùhuì.Only a few people went to that gathering.
• 从 上海 到 东京 坐 飞机 只 要 几 个 小时。Cóng Shànghǎi dào Dōngjīng zuò fēijī zhǐ xūyào jǐ gè xiǎoshí.Flying from Shanghai to Tokyo only takes a few hours.
• 我 每 天 都 要 喝 几 杯 咖啡。Wǒ měi tiān dōu yào hē jǐ bēi kāfēi.Every day I need to drink a few cups of coffee.
• 他 来 上海 以前 换 了 几 工作。 Tā lái Shànghǎi yǐqián, huàn le jǐ ge gōngzuò.He changed a few job before he came to Shanghai.

几 can be used to express a few "tens" of things

It is similar to how in English we can say, "a few dozen" or "a couple dozen," though in this case instead of "twelves of something" we are saying "tens of something."

Structure

几 + 十 + Measure Word + Noun

Examples

• 他 只 想 学 几 十 个 汉字。("Dozens" is the closest we can get in natural English to the Chinese, which literally means "tens.")Tā zhǐ xiǎng xué jǐ shí ge Hànzì.He only want to study a few dozen Chinese characters.
• 我们 公司 有 几 十 个 员工。Wǒmen gōngsī yǒu jǐ shí ge yuángōng.Our company has a few dozen employees.
• 他 在 美国 的 时候 去 过 几 十 个 城市。Tā zài Měiguó de shíhou qù guo jǐ shí ge chéngshì.When he stayed in America, he went to a few dozen cities.
• 姐姐 今年 夏天 买 了 几 十 件 新 衣服。 Jiějie jīnnián xiàtiān mǎi le jǐ shí jiàn xīn xīfu.My elder sister bought dozens of pieces of clothes this summer.
• 老板 在 国外 有 几 十 套 房子。Lǎobǎn zài guówài yǒu jǐ shí tào fángzi.The boss has a few dozen houses abroad.

几 can also be used to mean a few hundred, thousand, or ten thousand

In Chinese we can put 几 (jǐ) together with 百 (bǎi), 千 (qiān), or 万 (wàn), just like how in English we might say, "a few hundred" or a "few thousand."

Structure

几 + 百/千/万 + Measure Word + Noun

Examples

• 几 百 家 外国 公司 参加 了 这个 活动。This is a huge event, like a stadium rock concert.Jǐ wàn gè rén qù le nà gè jùhuì.Several tens of thousands went to that gathering.
• 妈妈 每 个 月 都 给 我 几 百 块 钱。Māmā shàng gè xīngqī gěi le wǒ jǐ bǎi kuài qián.Last week Mother gave me a couple hundred dollars.
• 这 本 书 有 几 万 个 字，我 还 没 看 完。Zhè běn shū yǒu jǐ wàn gè zì.This books has tens of thousands of characters.
• 我 认识 一个 朋友，她家 有 几 百 双 高跟鞋。Zhè jù huà, nǐ yǐjīng shuō le jǐ bǎi cì le.You've already said this hundreds of times!
• 这个 请 了 几 千 个 有名 的 。Tā de jiā lǐ yǒu jǐ bǎi shuāng xié.She has a couple hundred pairs of shoes in her house.

See also

• Indicating a number in excess

Sources and further reading

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语词典（第5版） (p. 641) →buy