How to use small quantity words in Mandarin Chinese?

Use small quantity words in Mandarin Chinese to describe “a small amount of stuff.” Small quantity words in Mandarin include:

While the seven words above all indicate a small amount, they differ in meaning and usage. For example, the quantity of 一些 (yīxiē) is commonly perceived as more than that of 一点 (yīdiǎn). There are also differences as to where they are placed in a sentence.

Five of them play an important role in polite language making, including 一点 (yīdiǎn), 有点 (yǒudiǎn), 一下 (yīxià), 一会儿 (yīhuǐr), and 稍(微) (shāo(wēi)). These five words use their common meaning of “a little bit” to soften the speaker’s tone and make requests and things like that less imposing.

Intrigued? Dive in to get more information about small quantity words in Mandarin.

When 一点 (yīdiǎn) is followed by a nounNo definition set for nounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., it indicates a small amount of something. For example:

When 一点 (yīdiǎn) follows an adjectiveNo definition set for adjectiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. / verbNo definition set for verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., it indicates a small amount or a low degree. This structure is usually used in a comparative sense, like the “-er” ending in English. For example:

一点 (yīdiǎn) is also used in idiomatic phrases. For example, both 一点都不/没 (yīdiǎn dōu bù/méi, not at all) and 一点都/也没 (yīdiǎn dōu/yě méi, not at all)indicate a complete negation. The latter is used for a past event, and the former is used for a present or future event. For example:

Use 有点 (yǒudiǎn) as a small quantity word with adjectives and verbs. It does not usually modify a noun as a small quantity word. For example:

累 (lèi, tired) in the above sentence is an adjective, and 有点 (yǒudiǎn) describes the low degree of tiredness.

The above two examples illustrate how 有点 (yǒudiǎn) is used with verbs. The verbs here tend to indicate emotions and feelings, exemplified by 想 (xiǎng, think/miss), 爱 (ài, love), 喜欢 (xǐhuan, like), 遗憾 (yíhàn, regret), 讨厌 (tǎoyàn, hate), 害怕 (hàipà, fear), 恨 (hèn, hate), 烦 (fán, annoy), 生气 (shēngqì, be angry), 怀疑 (huáiyí, doubt).

While 一点 (yīdiǎn) and 有点 (yǒudiǎn) both mean “a little / a bit,” they do have differences in use. 一点 (yīdiǎn) needs to be placed after adjectives or verbs, but 有点 (yǒudiǎn) is placed before adjectives or verbs. Also, adjective + 一点 (yīdiǎn) is usually used in a comparative sense and 有点 (yǒudiǎn) + adjective for general description.

一点 (yīdiǎn) stresses “a bit of something,” but 一些 (yīxiē) conveys “some.” 一些 (yīxiē) typically goes with countableNo definition set for countableLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. items (e.g., “books”). The quantity of 一些 (yīxiē) is commonly perceived as more than that of 一点 (yīdiǎn), just like “some” is mostly more than “a little” in English. For example, the quantity of 一些苹果 (yīxiē píngguǒ, some apples) is usually more than the quantity of 一点苹果 (yīdiǎn píngguǒ, a small quantity of apples) , which literally means “a bit of apple.” For example:

As shown in the above sentences, when 一点 (yīdiǎn) can be used with a countable noun like in the first sentence, it highlights a small singular amount (“a bit of pear”). 一些 (yīxiē), on the other hand, refers to a small but plural amount ("several / some apples"), which could be 5, 7, 10, etc.

There are some cases where 一点 (yīdiǎn) can be used but not 一些 (yīxiē), and vice versa. For example, when giving a present, the humble Chinese giver tends to say to the receiver: 一点小意思, 请笑纳 (Yīdiǎn xiǎoyìsi, qǐng xiàonà, This is a small token of gratitude. Please accept it). 一点 (yīdiǎn) here highlights the “insignificance” of the present. In this case, we cannot say 一些小意思，请笑纳, because 一些 (yīxiē) does not have the strong sense of “insignificance” like 一点 (yīdiǎn) has.

一点 (yīdiǎn) can also be used as a polite expression. For example, although your Chinese may be very good, when asked, you should still say, 我就会一点汉语 (Wǒ jiù huì yīdiǎn Hànyǔ, I only know a bit of Chinese). This is to show that you are modest and humble, which would give people a good impression.

一点 (yīdiǎn) and 一些 (yīxiē) can also be used to describe a low degree, and usually in the sense of comparison. They appear after (not before) an adjective / verb. For example:

少数 (shǎoshù) and 稍微 (shāowēi) are different in use. 少数 (shǎoshù) tends to go with nouns, while 少数 (shǎoshù) goes with verbs or adjectives. For example:

In this sentence above, 少数 (shǎoshù) goes with the noun 人 (rén, people). 稍微 (shāowēi), on the other hand, tends to go with a verb or an adjective, indicating a low degree. For example:

稍微 (shāowēi) tends to double up with another word referring to a small amount. For example, in the second sentence, 点 means “a bit,” so 稍微 (shāowēi) and 点 mean a lower degree and a small amount. The purpose of using the two together is to emphasize the smallness of the item being described, in this case, the redness on his face.

There are some idiomatic uses of 稍微 (shāowēi), where 微 (wēi) is omitted. For example, 稍等 (shāoděng, just a minute), 稍后 (shāohòu, a moment later), 稍纵即逝 (shāozòngjíshì, fleeting).

Small quantity words can also be used to speak politely in Mandarin. For example, if you want to ask someone to speak more slowly, you can say, 说慢一点可以吗 (Shuō màn yīdiǎn kěyǐ ma, Can you speak a bit slowly?), where 一点 (yīdiǎn, a bit) functions as a politeness word. We can also use the following words to show politeness: 有点 (yǒudiǎn, a bit), 一下 (yíxià, one time), 一会儿 (yíhuìr, a short while), and 稍(微) (shāo (wēi), slightly), among others.

These politeness words are usually used in a request, in non-positive comments, and where polite language is warranted to mitigate any possible adversarial impact.

Often, the small quantity words can be used together with other politeness words (e.g. 请 (qǐng, please), 麻烦 (máfan, sorry to bother you)), or combined with other small quantity words (e.g. 稍微有点 (shāowēi yǒudiǎn, just a little bit)) to enhance politeness.

Politeness in Mandarin is very important; otherwise even if you know all the words you may still come across as a rude speaker. Like in English, “Pass me the salt” sounds a bit blunt, whereas “Would you please pass me the salt?” is more polite. In Mandarin Chinese, you can use 请 (qǐng, please) to express politeness, as in 请问去图书馆怎么走 (Qǐngwèn qù túshūguǎn zěnme zǒu, Could you please let me know where the library is?). Similarly, you can also use 麻烦 (máfan, sorry to bother you) to do the same, as in 麻烦您去图书馆怎么走 (Máfan nín qù túshūguǎn zěnme zǒu, Sorry to bother you, could you please let me know where the library is?). But you can also use small quantity words. Let’s explore them one by one.

When you make a request, adding 一点 (yīdiǎn) to your request indicates that you “just want a little bit of something.” In doing so, you come across as more polite. Here are some comparisons between the polite and less polite versions.

As shown above, polite versions tend to have politeness words and are in question forms. Less polite versions tend to be shorter in length and in non-question forms.

Similar to 一点 (yīdiǎn), sentences with 有点 (yǒudiǎn) can also appear to be polite.

In the second sentence, 他不高兴 (Tā bù gāoxìng, He is unhappy) sounds a bit blunt and could be perceived as being critical. The function of 有点 (yǒudiǎn) is to soften the possible critical tone, making the sentence much more polite.

一下 (yíxià, one time) accompanies a verb, meaning that the action is for a short while or can be done casually. This word is often used to soften the tone. For example:

一下 (yīxià, Translation)in the above sentences brings about a polite request.

一会儿 (yíhuìr, a short while), like 一下 (yíxià, Translation) above, can also be used to make a polite sentence. For example:

The politeness in the above two sentences is to ask permissions indirectly by using 一会儿 (yíhuìr). With the meaning of “a short while,” the speaker sort of says, “It won’t be long, so please allow me to do it.”

一下 (yīxià) and 一会儿 (yīhuǐr) are mostly interchangeable. For example, we can say 请坐一下/一会儿 (Please sit down for a bit) or 请等一下/一会儿 (Please wait for a moment, Translation). However, 一下 often indicates a shorter time span than 一会儿 does. For example 说一会儿话 (shuō yīhuǐr huà, chat for a short while) could be 30 mins, but 说一下话 (shuō yīxià huà, chat for a bit) would be less than that.

稍(微) (shāo(wēi)) can be used alongside another small quantity word to increase the level of politeness of a sentence in Mandarin Chinese. For example:

As shown in the second sentence above, 稍微 (shāowēi) together with 一点 (yīdiǎn) enables the speaker to ask the listener to turn down the music very nicely. The purpose of using the two together is to emphasize the meaning of “just a little bit please.”

Note that in the second sentence, the speaker adds 谢谢 (xièxiè) to the end of sentence to further show politeness while requesting. Also, in both sentences, 请 (qǐng, please) and 麻烦 (máfan, sorry to bother you) are added to enhance the degree of politeness, but they are not necessary and can be omitted.

In this post, we’ve reviewed small quantity words in Mandarin and discussed seven words in particular, which all convey the meaning of “a small amount.”

Among these seven words, five of them play an important role in polite language making, including 一点 (yīdiǎn), 有点 (yǒudiǎn), 一下 (yīxià), 一会儿 (yīhuǐr), and 稍(微) (shāo(wēi)). These five words use their common meaning of “a little bit” to soften the speaker’s tone and make requests and things like that less imposing.

Okay, now it is time to put the above into practice. Click on these exercises to practice using small quantity words to express politeness in Mandarin.