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

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{{Grammar Box}}  
 
{{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.
+
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 (jǐ) 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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</div>
 
</div>
  
===Examples===
+
=== Examples ===
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<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>
 
* 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>
* 我 去 过 中国 <em>几</em> 次。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ qùguò Zhōngguó <em>jǐ</em> cì.</span><span class="trans">I have been to China a few times.</span>
+
* 只有 <em>几</em> 个 人 去 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>
* 只有 <em>几</em> 个 人 去 那 个 聚会。<span class="pinyin">Zhǐyǒu <em>jǐ</em> gè rén qù le nà gè jùhuì.</span><span class="trans">Only a few people went to that gathering. </span>
+
* 从 上海 到 东京 坐 飞机 <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>
*一 片 面包 只 要 <em>几</em> 块 钱。<span class="expl">(几 here literally means 'several' or 'more than one.')</span><span class="pinyin">Yī piàn miànbāo zhǐyào <em>jǐ</em> kuài qián.</span><span class="trans"> One slice of bread only costs a few kuai.</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>
*他 已经 有 <em>几</em> 个 房子 了。<span class="pinyin">Tā yǐjīng yǒu <em>jǐ</em> gè fángzi le.</span><span class="trans">He already has a few houses. </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>
*我 姐姐 有 <em>几</em> 个 孩子,都 是 男孩。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ jiějie yǒu <em>jǐ</em> gè háizi, dōu shì nánhái.</span><span class="trans">My older sister has a few kids, they're all boys. </span>
 
*我 已经 工作 <em>几</em> 年 了。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ yǐjīng gōngzuò <em>jǐ</em> nián le.</span><span class="trans">I have already worked for a few years.</span>
 
*从 上海 到 东京 只 需要 <em>几</em> 个 小时。<span class="pinyin">Cóng Shànghǎi dào Dōngjīng zhǐ xūyào <em>jǐ</em> gè xiǎoshí.</span><span class="trans">Going 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 need to drink a few cups of coffee.</span>
 
*他 有 <em>几</em> 个 女朋友。<span class="pinyin">Tā yǒu <em>jǐ</em> gè nǚpéngyou.</span><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 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."
 
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."
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<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
* 桌子 上 有 <em>几 十</em> 本 书。<span class="expl">("Dozens" is the closest we can get in natural English to the Chinese, which literally means "tens.")</span><span class="pinyin">Zhuōzi shàng yǒu <em>jǐ shí</em> běn shū.</span><span class="trans">There are a few dozen books on the table.</span>
+
 
* 我 去 过 中国 <em>几 十</em> 次。<span class="expl">(Implying that it is quite a few times, easily can lose count.)</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ qù guo Zhōngguó <em>jǐ shí</em> cì.</span><span class="trans">I have been to China a couple dozen times.</span>
+
* 他 只 想 学 <em>几 十</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>
* <em>几 十</em> 个 人 去 了 那 个 聚会。<span class="expl">(Maybe somewhere between 20 and 50 people)</span><span class="pinyin"><em>Jǐ shí</em> gè rén qù le nà gè jùhuì.</span><span class="trans">A couple dozen people went to that gathering.</span>
+
* 我们 公司 有 <em>几 十</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>
*我 每 天 只 用 <em>几 十</em> 块 钱。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ měi tiān zhǐ yòng <em>jǐ shí</em> kuài qián.</span><span class="trans">Every day I only need to spend a couple dozen kuai.</span>
+
* 他 写 过 <em>几 十</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>
*从 上海 去 西藏,坐 火车 需要 <em>几 十</em> 个 小时。<span class="pinyin">Cóng Shànghǎi qù Xīzàng, zuò huǒchē xūyào <em>jǐ shí</em> gè xiǎoshí.</span><span class="trans">Going from Shanghai to Tibet, riding a train takes dozens of hours. </span>
+
* 这个 年轻的 演员 演 了 <em>几 十</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 去 过 那 个 饭店 <em>几 十</em> 次。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ qù guo nà gè fàndiàn <em>jǐ shí</em> cì.</span><span class="trans">I have been to that restaurant a bunch of times.</span>
+
* 老板 国外 有 <em>几 十</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>
*这 个 公司 有 <em>几 十</em> 个 人。<span class="pinyin">Zhè ge gōngsī yǒu <em>jǐ shí</em> gè rén.</span><span class="trans">This company has a few dozen people.</span>
+
 
*我 已经 学 了 <em>几 十</em> 个 汉字 了。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ yǐjīng xué le <em>jǐ shí</em> gè Hànzì le.</span><span class="trans">I've already studied a few dozen Chinese characters.</span>
 
*这 个 饭店 有 <em>几 十</em> 种  菜。<span class="pinyin">Zhè ge fàndiàn yǒu <em>jǐ shí</em> zhǒng cài.</span><span class="trans">This restaurant has dozens of types of dishes.</span>
 
*美国 待 了 <em>几 十</em> 天。<span class="pinyin">zài Měiguó dāi le <em>jǐ shí</em> tiān.</span><span class="trans">I stayed in the U.S. for a few dozen days.</span>
 
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
== 几 can also be used to mean a few hundred, thousand, or ten thousand ==
+
== 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."
 
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."
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<div class="jiegou">
 
<div class="jiegou">
  
几 + 百/千/万 + Measure Word + Noun
+
几 + 百 / 千 / 万 + Measure Word + Noun
 +
 
 +
</div>
 +
 
 +
===Examples===
 +
 
 +
<div class="liju">
 +
 
 +
* 妈妈 每 个 月 都 给 我 <em>几 百</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>
 +
* 这 个 月 我们 卖 了 <em>几 千</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>
 +
* <em>几 百</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>
 +
* 这 篇 文章 有 <em>几 万</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 认识 一 个 朋友,她 有  <em>几 百</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>
 +
 
 +
</div>
 +
 
 +
== 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===
 +
 
 +
<div class="jiegou">
 +
 
 +
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="pinyin">Zhuōzi shàng yǒu <em>jǐ bǎi</em> běn shū.</span><span class="trans">There are a few hundred books on the table.</span>
+
 
* 我 去 过 中国 <em>几 千</em> 次。<span class="expl">Wow!</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ qùguò Zhōngguó <em>jǐ qiān</em> .</span><span class="trans">I've been to China thousands of times! </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="expl">This is a huge event, like a stadium rock concert.</span><span class="pinyin"><em>Jǐ wàn</em> gè rén qù le nà gè jùhuì.</span><span class="trans">Several tens of thousands went to that gathering. </span>
+
*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>
*妈妈 上 个 星期 给 了 <em>几 百</em> 块 钱。<span class="pinyin">Māmā shàng gè xīngqī gěi le wǒ <em>jǐ bǎi</em> kuài qián.</span><span class="trans">Last week Mother gave me a couple hundred dollars.</span>
+
*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。<span class="pinyin"><em>Jǐ qiān</em> gè rén xiǎng lái wǒmen gōngsī gōngzuò.</span><span class="trans">Several thousands of people want to come work for our company.</span>
+
*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。<span class="pinyin">Zhè běn shū yǒu <em>jǐ wàn</em> gè .</span><span class="trans">This books has tens of thousands of characters.</span>
+
*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。<span class="pinyin">Zhè jù huà, nǐ yǐjīng shuō le <em>jǐ bǎi</em> cì le.</span><span class="trans">You've already said this hundreds of times!</span>
+
 
*他 每 个 月 只 有 <em>几 千</em> 块 钱。<span class="pinyin">Tā měi gè yuè zhǐyǒu <em>jǐ qiān</em> kuài qián.</span><span class="trans">Every month, he only has a few thousand dollars.</span>
 
*在 上海,<em>几 万</em> 块 钱 不 能 买 到 房子。<span class="pinyin">Zài Shànghǎi, <em>jǐ wàn</em> kuài qián bù néng mǎi dào fángzi.</span><span class="trans">In Shanghai, a few tens of thousands of dollars cannot buy house.</span>
 
*她 的 家 里 有 <em>几 百</em> 双 鞋。<span class="pinyin">Tā de jiā lǐ yǒu <em>jǐ bǎi</em> shuāng xié.</span><span class="trans">She has a couple hundred pairs of shoes in her house.</span>
 
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
 
  
 
*[[Indicating a number in excess]]
 
*[[Indicating a number in excess]]
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=== Books ===
 
=== Books ===
  
 +
{{Source|HSK Standard Course 2|4}}
 
=== Dictionaries ===
 
=== Dictionaries ===
 
* [[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]
 
* [[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]]
 +
{{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}}
 +
{{Rel char|好}}
 +
{{Rel char|十}}
 +
{{Rel char|百}}
 +
{{Rel char|千}}
 +
{{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