Difference between revisions of "Using "ji" to mean "several""

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{{Grammar Box}}
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{{Grammar Box}}  
  
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.
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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, and probably less than five, but definitely less than ten.
  
== 几 can be used to mean a few specific things ==
+
== 几 (jǐ) as "a Few" ==
  
The simplest way to use 几 is to use it directly with a measure word. It means "a few", less than ten or so, things.
+
The simplest way to use 几 (jǐ) to mean "a few" is to use it directly with a measure word.
  
 
===Structure===
 
===Structure===
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几 + Measure Word + Noun
 
几 + Measure Word + Noun
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 +
</div>
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 +
=== Examples ===
 +
 +
<div class="liju">
 +
* 桌子 上 有 <em>几</em> 本 书。<span class="pinyin">Zhuōzi shàng yǒu <em>jǐ</em> běn shū.</span><span class="trans">There are a few books on the table.</span>
 +
* 只有 <em>几</em> 个 人 去 过 那 个 地方。<span class="pinyin">Zhǐyǒu <em>jǐ</em> gè rén qù guo nàge dìfang.</span><span class="trans">Only a few people have been to that place.</span>
 +
* 从 上海 到 东京 坐 飞机 只 要 <em>几</em> 个 小时。<span class="pinyin">Cóng Shànghǎi dào Dōngjīng zuò fēijī zhǐ yào <em>jǐ</em> gè xiǎoshí.</span><span class="trans">Flying from Shanghai to Tokyo only takes a few hours.</span>
 +
* 我 每 天 都 要 喝 <em>几</em> 杯 咖啡。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ měi tiān dōu yào hē <em>jǐ</em> bēi kāfēi.</span><span class="trans">Every day I have to drink a couple cups of coffee.</span>
 +
* 老板 今天 开 了 <em>几</em> 个 重要 的 会。<span class="pinyin">Lǎobǎn jīntiān kāi le <em>jǐ</em> gè zhòngyào de huì.</span><span class="trans">The boss had a few important meetings today.</span>
 +
</div>
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 +
== 几 (jǐ) as "a Few Tens" ==
 +
 +
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===
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 +
<div class="jiegou">
 +
 +
几 + 十 + Measure Word + Noun
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
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<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
* 桌子 上 有 <em>几</em> 本 书。<span class="trans">There are a few books on the table.</span>
+
 
* 我 去 过 中国 <em></em> 次。<span class="trans">I have been to China a few times.</span>
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* 他 只 想 学 <em>几 </em> 个 汉字。<span class="expl pdf-long-expl">"Dozens" is the closest we can get in natural English to the Chinese, which literally means "tens."</span><span class="pinyin">Tā zhǐ xiǎng xué <em>jǐ shí</em> gè Hànzì.</span><span class="trans">He only wants to study a few dozen Chinese characters.</span>
* 只有 <em>几</em> 个 人 去 了 那 个 聚会。<span class="trans">Only a few people went to that gathering. </span>
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* 我们 公司 有 <em>几 </em> 个 员工。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen gōngsī yǒu <em>jǐ shí</em> gè yuángōng.</span><span class="trans">Our company has a few dozen employees.</span>
*一 个 面包 只 要 <em></em> 块 钱。<span class="expl">(几 here literally means 'several' or 'more than one')</span><span class="trans">One bun only costs a few kuai. </span>
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* 他 写 过 <em>几 </em> 本 书,我 都 喜欢。<span class="pinyin">Tā xiě guo <em>jǐ shí</em> běn shū, wǒ dōu xǐhuan.</span><span class="trans">He wrote a few dozen books. I like them all.</span>
*他 已经 有 <em>几</em> 个 房子 了。<span class="trans">He already has a few rooms. </span>
+
* 这个 年轻的 演员 演 了 <em>几 </em> 部 电影。我都喜欢。<span class="pinyin">Zhège niánqīng de yǎnyuán yǎn le <em>jǐ shí</em> bù diànyǐng. Wǒ dōu xǐhuan.</span><span class="trans">This young actor has acted in dozens of movies. I like them all.</span>
*我 姐姐 有 <em></em> 个 孩子,都 是 男孩。<span class="trans">My older sister has a few kids, they're all boys. </span>
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* 老板 在 国外 有 <em>几 </em> 套 房子。<span class="pinyin">Lǎobǎn zài guówài yǒu <em>jǐ shí</em> tào fángzi.</span><span class="trans">The boss has a few dozen houses abroad.</span>
*我 已经 工作 <em>几</em> 年 了。<span class="trans">I have already worked for a few years.</span>
+
 
*从 上海 到 东京 只 需要 <em></em> 个 小时。<span class="trans">Going from Shanghai to Beijing only takes a few hours.</span>
 
*我 每 天 都 要 喝 <em>几</em> 杯 咖啡。<span class="trans">Everyday I need to drink a few cups of coffee.</span>
 
*他 有 <em></em> 个 女朋友。<span class="trans">He has a few girlfriends. </span>
 
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
== 几 can be used to express a few "tens" of things ==
+
== 几 (jǐ) as "a Few Hundred / Thousand / Ten Thousand" ==
  
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".
+
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===
 
===Structure===
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<div class="jiegou">
 
<div class="jiegou">
  
几 + + Measure Word + Noun
+
几 + 百 / 千 / 万 + Measure Word + Noun
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
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<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
* 桌子 上 有 <em>几 </em> 本 书。<span class="trans">There are a few dozen (literally "few tens") books on the table.</span>
+
 
* 我 去 过 中国 <em>几 十</em> 次。<span class="trans">I have been to China a couple dozen times.(implying that it is quite a few times, easily can lose count) </span>
+
* 妈妈 每 个 月 都 给 我 <em>几 </em> 块 钱。<span class="pinyin">Māma měi gè yuè dōu gěi wǒ <em>jǐ bǎi</em> kuài qián.</span><span class="trans">Mom gives me a couple hundred dollars every month.</span>
* <em>几 </em> 个 人 去 了 那 个 聚会。<span class="trans">A couple dozen people went to that gathering. (maybe somewhere between 20 and 50 people)</span>
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* 这 个 月 我们 卖 了 <em>几 </em> 本 书。<span class="pinyin">Zhège yuè wǒmen mài le<em> jǐ qiān</em> běn shū.</span><span class="trans">We sold a couple thousand books this month.</span>
*我 每 天 只 用 <em>几 十</em> 块 钱。<span class="trans">Everyday I only need to spend a couple dozen kuai.</span>
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* <em>几 </em> 家 外国 公司 参加 了 这个 大会。<span class="pinyin"><em>Jǐ bǎi</em> jiā wàiguó gōngsī cānjiā le zhège dàhuì.</span><span class="trans">Several hundred foreign companies attended this conference.</span>
*从 上海 去 西藏,坐 火车 需要 <em>几 </em> 个 小时。<span class="trans">Going from Shanghai to Tibet, riding a train takes dozens of hours. </span>
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* 这 篇 文章 有 <em>几 </em> 个 字,太 长 了。<span class="pinyin">Zhè piān wénzhāng yǒu <em>jǐ wàn</em> gè zì, tài cháng le.</span><span class="trans">This article has tens of thousands of characters. It's too long.</span>
*我 去 过 那 个 饭店 <em>几 十</em> 次。<span class="trans">I have been to that restaurant a bunch of times.</span>
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* 我 认识 一 朋友,她 <em>几 </em> 双 鞋。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ rènshi yī gè péngyou, tā yǒu <em>jǐ bǎi</em> shuāng xié.</span><span class="trans">I have a friend that has a couple hundred pairs of shoes.</span>
*这 个 公司 有 <em>几 </em> 个 人。<span class="trans">This company has a few dozen people.</span>
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*我 已经 学 了 <em>几 十</em> 个 汉字 了。<span class="trans">I've already studied a few dozen Chinese characters.</span>
 
*饭店 有 <em>几 </em> 种菜。<span class="trans">This restaurant has dozens of types of dishes.</span>
 
*我 在 美国 待 了 <em>几 十</em> 天。<span class="trans">I stayed in American for a few dozen days.</span>
 
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
== 几 can also be used to mean a few hundred, thousand, or ten thousand ==
+
== 好几 (hǎojǐ) as "Quite a Few" ==
  
In Chinese we can put 几 together with 百, 千, or 万, just like how in English we might say "a few hundred" or a "few thousand".
+
You can think of 好几 (hǎojǐ) as meaning "quite a few," usually in the range of five to ten.
  
 
===Structure===
 
===Structure===
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<div class="jiegou">
 
<div class="jiegou">
  
几 + 百/千/万 + Measure Word + Noun
+
好几 + Measure Word + Noun
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
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<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
* 桌子 上 有 <em>几 百</em> 本 书。<span class="trans">There are a few hundred bucks on the table.</span>
+
 
* 我 去 过 中国 <em>几 千</em> 次。<span class="trans">I've been to China a few thousand times. (Wow!)</span>
+
*他 读 了 <em>好几</em> 遍 。<span class="pinyin">Tā dú le <em>hǎojǐ</em> biàn.</span><span class="trans">He's read quite a few times.</span>
* <em>几 万 </em> 个 人 去 了 那 个 聚会。<span class="trans">A couple tens of thousands went to that gathering. (This is a huge event, like a stadium rock concert)</span>
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*我 有  <em>好几</em> 个 室友 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ yǒu <em>hǎojǐ</em> gè shìyǒu.</span><span class="trans">I have quite a few roommates.</span>
*我 上 个 星期 借 给 他 <em>几 百</em> 块 钱,但是 他 忘 了 还 给 我。
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*我 奶奶 有 <em>好几</em> 个 孩子 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ nǎinai yǒu <em>hǎojǐ</em> gè háizi.</span><span class="trans">My grandma has quite a few children.</span>
*<em>几 千</em> 个 人 想 来 我们 公司 工作。
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*他 吃 了 <em>好几</em> 碗 米饭 。<span class="pinyin">Tā chī le <em>hǎojǐ</em> wǎn mǐfàn.</span><span class="trans">He ate quite a few bowls of rice.</span>
*这 本 书 有 <em>几 万</em> 个 字。
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*我们 去 过 <em>好几</em> 次 北京 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen qù guo <em>hǎojǐ</em> cì Běijīng.</span><span class="trans">We've been to Beijing quite a few times.</span>
*这 句 话,你 已经 说 了 <em>几 百 </em>次 了。
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*他 每 个 月 只 有 <em>几 千</em> 块 钱。
 
*在 上海,<em>几 万</em> 块 钱 不 可能 买 到 一 个 房子。
 
*她 的 家 里 有 <em>几 百</em> 双 鞋。
 
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
 
  
 
*[[Indicating a number in excess]]
 
*[[Indicating a number in excess]]
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=== Books ===
 
=== Books ===
  
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{{Source|HSK Standard Course 2|4}}
 
=== Dictionaries ===
 
=== Dictionaries ===
* [[现代汉语词典(第5版)]] (pp. 641) [http://www.amazon.cn/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%8D%E5%85%B8/dp/B001B1RZCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345693609&sr=8-1 →buy]
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* [[现代汉语词典(第5版)]] (p. 641) [http://www.amazon.cn/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%8D%E5%85%B8/dp/B001B1RZCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345693609&sr=8-1 →buy]
 
 
 
 
  
 
[[Category:A2 grammar points]]
 
[[Category:A2 grammar points]]
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{{HSK|HSK2}}{{2021-HSK|HSK2}}
 
{{Basic Grammar|几|A2|几 + Measure Word + Noun|桌子 上 有 <em>几</em> 本 书。|grammar point|ASGHC9CA}}
 
{{Basic Grammar|几|A2|几 + Measure Word + Noun|桌子 上 有 <em>几</em> 本 书。|grammar point|ASGHC9CA}}
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{{Rel char|好}}
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{{Rel char|十}}
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{{Rel char|百}}
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{{Rel char|千}}
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{{Rel char|万}}
 
{{Used for|Expressing quantity}}
 
{{Used for|Expressing quantity}}
 
{{Similar|"Some" with "youde"}}
 
{{Similar|"Some" with "youde"}}

Latest revision as of 08:54, 21 April 2021

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, and probably less than five, but definitely less than ten.

几 (jǐ) as "a Few"

The simplest way to use 几 (jǐ) to mean "a few" is to use it directly with a measure word.

Structure

几 + Measure Word + Noun

Examples

  • 桌子 上 有 本 书。Zhuōzi shàng yǒu běn shū.There are a few books on the table.
  • 只有 个 人 去 过 那 个 地方。Zhǐyǒu gè rén qù guo nàge dìfang.Only a few people have been to that place.
  • 从 上海 到 东京 坐 飞机 只 要 个 小时。Cóng Shànghǎi dào Dōngjīng zuò fēijī zhǐ yào gè xiǎoshí.Flying from Shanghai to Tokyo only takes a few hours.
  • 我 每 天 都 要 喝 杯 咖啡。Wǒ měi tiān dōu yào hē bēi kāfēi.Every day I have to drink a couple cups of coffee.
  • 老板 今天 开 了 个 重要 的 会。Lǎobǎn jīntiān kāi le gè zhòngyào de huì.The boss had a few important meetings today.

几 (jǐ) as "a Few Tens"

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 gè 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 gè 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。Zhège niánqīng de yǎnyuán yǎn le jǐ shí bù diànyǐng. Wǒ dōu xǐhuan.This young actor has acted in dozens of 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 (jǐ) as "a Few Hundred / Thousand / 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。Māma měi gè yuè dōu gěi wǒ jǐ bǎi kuài qián.Mom gives me a couple hundred dollars every month.
  • 这 个 月 我们 卖 了 几 千 本 书。Zhège yuè wǒmen mài le jǐ qiān běn shū.We sold a couple thousand books this month.
  • 几 百 家 外国 公司 参加 了 这个 大会。Jǐ bǎi jiā wàiguó gōngsī cānjiā le zhège 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 鞋。Wǒ rènshi yī gè péngyou, tā yǒu jǐ bǎi shuāng xié.I have a friend that has a couple hundred pairs of shoes.

好几 (hǎojǐ) as "Quite a Few"

You can think of 好几 (hǎojǐ) as meaning "quite a few," usually in the range of five to ten.

Structure

好几 + Measure Word + Noun

Examples

  • 他 读 了 好几 遍 。Tā dú le hǎojǐ biàn.He's read quite a few times.
  • 我 有 好几 个 室友 。Wǒ yǒu hǎojǐ gè shìyǒu.I have quite a few roommates.
  • 我 奶奶 有 好几 个 孩子 。Wǒ nǎinai yǒu hǎojǐ gè háizi.My grandma has quite a few children.
  • 他 吃 了 好几 碗 米饭 。Tā chī le hǎojǐ wǎn mǐfàn.He ate quite a few bowls of rice.
  • 我们 去 过 好几 次 北京 。Wǒmen qù guo hǎojǐ cì Běijīng.We've been to Beijing quite a few times.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Dictionaries