{{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, 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 几 本 书。Zhuōzi shàng yǒu jǐ běn shū.There are a few books on the table. * 只有 几 个 人 去 过 那 个 地方。Zhǐyǒu jǐ 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 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 have to drink a couple 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 (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== *[[Indicating a number in excess]] == Sources and further reading == === Books === === 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] [[Category:A2 grammar points]] {{Basic Grammar|几|A2|几 + Measure Word + Noun|桌子 上 有 几 本 书。|grammar point|ASGHC9CA}} {{Rel char|好}} {{Rel char|十}} {{Rel char|百}} {{Rel char|千}} {{Rel char|万}} {{Used for|Expressing quantity}} {{Similar|"Some" with "youde"}} {{Similar|"Some" using "yixie"}} {{Similar|Indicating a number in excess}} {{POS|Numbers and Measure Words}} {{Translation|few}} {{Translation|some}}