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 yào 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.
• 老板 今天 开 了 几 个 重要 的 会。Lǎobǎn jīntiān kāi le jǐ gè zhòngyào de huì. The boss had a few important meetings today.

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 wants 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 写 过 几 十 本 书，我 都 喜欢。Tā xiě guo jǐ shí běn shū, wǒ dōu xǐhuan.He wrote a few dozen books. I like them all.
• 这个 年轻的 演员 演 了 几 十 部 电影。我都喜欢。Zhè ge niánqīng de yǎnyuán yǎn le jǐ shí bù diànyǐng. Wǒ dōu xǐhuan. This young actor has acted in a dozen movies. I like them all.
• 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

• 妈妈 每 个 月 都 给 我 几 百 块 钱。Māmā měi gè yuè dōu gěi wǒ jǐ bǎi kuài qián. Mom give me a couple hundred dollars every month.
• 这 个 月 我们 卖 了 几 千 本 书。Zhè ge yuè wǒmen mài le jǐ qiān běn shū. We sold a couple thousand books this months.
• 几 百 家 外国 公司 参加 了 这个 大会。Jǐ bǎi jiā wàiguó gōngsī cānjiā le zhè ge dàhuì. Several hundred foreign companies attended this conference.
• 这 篇 文章 有 几 万 个 字，太 长 了。Zhè piān wénzhāng yǒu jǐ wàn gè zì, tài cháng le. This article has tens of thousands of characters.It's too long.
• 我 认识 一个 朋友，她 有 几 百 双 高跟鞋。Wǒ rènshi yīge péngyou, tā yǒu jǐ bǎi shuāng gāogēnxié. I met a friend. She has a couple hundred high-heeled shoes.

See also

• Indicating a number in excess

Sources and further reading

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语词典（第5版） (p. 641) →buy