Expressing "almost" using "chadian"
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Level
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Similar to
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Used for
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Keywords
To say that something bad almost happened (but didn't), you can add the word 差点 (chàdiǎn) before the verb. You will also hear 差点儿 (chàdiǎnr) in northern China. There is no difference in meaning between 差点 and 差点儿.
Contents
Literal Meaning
It might help to understand the literal meaning of the structure. The word 差 (chà) has a lot of meanings. In this case, it means "to lack," or "to be short." So in Chinese, the way to say "almost" is to say, "lacking that little bit." If that "little bit" hadn't been lacking, it would have happened. But it was lacking, so it didn't happen。Technically, it almost happened. Just remember: The fact is always opposite with the verb phrase after "差点(儿)", whether the verb phrase contains "没" or not.
Basic Structure
Subj. + 差点(儿) + [Verb Phrase] + 了
Note that the "Verb Phrase" part of the structure is usually something bad or something you don't wish for, and that it didn't happen. You can put "就" after "差点儿" .
Examples
- 我们 队 差点儿 就 输 了。 the team didn't loseOur team almost lost.
- 雨 很 大，我 差点 回 不 来 了 。 I actually did make it back, thoughThe rain is so heavy I almost couldn't make it back.
- 路上 堵车，我 差点儿 就 迟到 了 。 I wasn't lateThe traffic is bad; I was almost late.
- 我 差点 忘 了 。 I didn't forget. I almost forgot.
- 我 差点 犯 了 一 个 大 错 。 I didn't make a big mistakeI nearly made a big mistake.
- 车 差点 就 撞到 我 了。The car didn't hit me. The car almost hit me.
- 我们 高兴 得 差点儿 哭 出来。 We didn't cry. We were so happy that we almost cried.
Using 差点 with 没
This can get confusing, even though it's really the same pattern (and same logic) with a little added complexity. This pattern goes beyond the difficulty level of the needs of the B1 learner, so to learn more about this usage, see expressing "almost" using "chadian mei".
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (pp. 112) →buy
- 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (p. 341)→buy
Dictionaries
- 现代汉语词典（第5版） (pp. 145) →buy
