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

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

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

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

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.

几 (jǐ) as "a Few"

Structure

Examples

几 (jǐ) as "a Few Tens"

Structure

Examples

几 (jǐ) as "a Few Hundred / Thousand / Ten Thousand"

Structure

Examples

好几 (hǎojǐ) as "Quite a Few"

Structure

Examples

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Dictionaries