一点 (yīdiǎn) and 有点 (yǒudiǎn), usually pronounced 一点儿 (yīdiǎnr) and 有点儿 (yǒudiǎnr) in northern China, all mean pretty much the same thing—"a little" or "a bit"—but they have different uses in sentences. Both Can Be Used for Describing Degree ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Usage of 有点 有点 is placed before an adjective, and it usually expresses that the speaker doesn't want or has negative feelings about something. A few examples: ### Usage of 一点 一点 can't be placed before an adjective. Instead, it is placed *after* adjectives. The adjectives that can be used are particularly limited. 一点 is often used when comparing, or expressing speaker’s wish or expectation. A few examples: 有(一)点 Used for Describing Quantity ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 一点 can be placed before a noun to mean "small quantity," like 一点水，一点钱 while 有点 can't be used this way. Note that 有点 is also a shortened form of 有一点, which means "there is a little something. A few examples to help you understand: Negative Forms ------------------------------------------------------------------- You can use 不 or 没 after 有点 and before the adjective, however the following adjective should have a positive connotation, like 高兴 (gāoxìng), 舒服 (shūfu), 喜欢(xǐhuan) etc. This makes the overall emotion expressed feel negative still. Some examples: 一点 cannot be linked together directly, but can be used in the 一点也不 or 一点也没 structure to mean "[not at all](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Not_at_all)." A few examples: Right and Wrong --------------------------------------------------------------------- Example Dialog ------------------------------------------------------------------- See also ------------------------------------------------------- - [Expressing "a little too" with "you dian"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_%22a_little_too%22_with_%22you_dian%22) - [Expressing "not at all" with "yidianr ye bu"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_%22not_at_all%22_with_%22yidianr_ye_bu%22) - [Expressing "a bit too"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_%22a_bit_too%22) Sources and further reading --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Books - [现代汉语八百词（增订本）](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%85%AB%E7%99%BE%E8%AF%8D%EF%BC%88%E5%A2%9E%E8%AE%A2%E6%9C%AC%EF%BC%89) (pp. 602) \[ →buy\] - [现代汉语八百词（增订本）](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%85%AB%E7%99%BE%E8%AF%8D%EF%BC%88%E5%A2%9E%E8%AE%A2%E6%9C%AC%EF%BC%89) (pp. 633) \[ →buy\] - [对外汉语教学语法释疑201例](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%AF%B9%E5%A4%96%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E6%95%99%E5%AD%A6%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95%E9%87%8A%E7%96%91201%E4%BE%8B) (pp. 172) \[ →buy\] - [Practicing HSK Grammar (语法精讲精炼)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Practicing_HSK_Grammar_(%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95%E7%B2%BE%E8%AE%B2%E7%B2%BE%E7%82%BC)) (pp. 43) [→buy](http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001N6R7DI&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001N6R7DI) - [Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Chinese_Grammar_-_Broken_down_into_100_items_-_Basic_and_Intermediate_Levels_(%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95%E7%99%BE%E9%A1%B9%E8%AE%B2%E7%BB%83_-_%E5%88%9D%E4%B8%AD%E7%BA%A7)) (pp. 63) \[ →buy\] ### Websites - Chinesegrammar.info: [Where to place 一点儿 (yī diǎnr) in a sentence](http://chinesegrammar.info/general/yi-dianr-placement/) \