To say a little in Chinese, use 有点儿 or 一点儿: both mean a little, but they sit on opposite sides of the adjective. 有点儿 + adjective = a bit (too), a mild complaint: 有点儿贵 it's a bit expensive. Adjective + 一点儿 = a bit more, a comparison or request: 便宜一点儿 a bit cheaper. Put them together and you can bargain: 有点儿贵，能便宜一点儿吗？
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You are standing at a market stall. You want to say it's a little expensive — could you go a little cheaper? English uses a little twice. If you use the same Chinese word twice, one of the two halves will come out wrong, and the vendor will know you are a beginner before you have finished the sentence.
“A little” in Chinese: before the adjective or after it
That is the whole rule in one picture. 有点儿 describes how something is — and it is almost always a little too much of something you'd rather not have. 一点儿 describes a change — a bit more than it is now, or than something else.
1Before an adjective or a feeling verb. It softens a complaint, which is exactly why it is so common: it lets you say something negative without sounding harsh.
After an adjective it means a bit more — the natural way to compare or to ask for a change. Before a noun it means a little (of).
If you remember only one sentence, remember the market line — it contains both, in the right places.
一点儿也不: “not at all”
Put 一点儿 in front of a negative with 也 or 都, and it means not even a little:
The market conversation, start to finish
| Chinese | Pinyin & English | |
|---|---|---|
| You | 这个多少钱？ | zhège duōshao qián? — How much is this? |
| Seller | 一百五。 | yìbǎi wǔ — 150. |
| You | 有点儿贵，能便宜一点儿吗？ | yǒudiǎnr guì, néng piányi yìdiǎnr ma? — That's a bit pricey — could you go a bit lower? |
| Seller | 一百二，最便宜了。 | yìbǎi èr, zuì piányi le — 120, that's my lowest. |
| You | 一百，可以吗？ | yìbǎi, kěyǐ ma? — How about 100? |
Note 一百五 = 150, not 105 — see Chinese numbers. And 可以吗 is the permission can from 会 vs 能 vs 可以.
The softener family: 一下, doubling, 一点儿
一点儿 belongs to a small family of words whose real job is politeness. Chinese requests often sound blunt to English ears because the verb is bare; these softeners shrink the request so it is easy to say yes to.
Doubling a verb (看看, 试试, 尝尝, 休息休息) makes the action sound brief and casual — just have a look. The second syllable is usually said in the neutral tone.
Check yourself
Choose the natural Chinese.
Describing how it is (and not welcome) → 有点儿 + adjective.
A request for change → adjective + 一点儿.
一点儿也不 + adjective = not at all.
Complaint first (有点儿小), then a request for change (大一点儿).
Verb + 一下 = briefly, for a moment.
一 becomes fourth tone before a third tone: yìdiǎnr.
Practise this pattern in real sentences
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- 有点儿 yǒudiǎnr
- BEFORE an adjective/feeling: a bit (too) — usually unwelcome. 有点儿贵, 有点儿累, 有点儿不舒服.
- 一点儿 yìdiǎnr
- AFTER an adjective: a bit more (comparison, request) — 便宜一点儿, 慢一点儿. BEFORE a noun: a little of — 一点儿水.
- Not at all
- 一点儿也不 / 一点儿都不 + adjective: 一点儿也不贵.
- Bargaining
- 有点儿贵，能便宜一点儿吗？
- Softeners
- Verb + 一下 (等一下), doubled verb (看看, 试试, 尝尝), 请 + 稍 + 一下.
- Variants
- 一点 / 有点 without -r are standard in the south and Taiwan. 一 = yì before 点.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between 一点儿 and 有点儿?
有点儿 + adjective = a bit (too), a mild complaint. Adjective + 一点儿 = a bit more, a comparison or request.
How do you bargain in Chinese?
有点儿贵，能便宜一点儿吗？ — It's a bit expensive; could you make it a bit cheaper?
How do you say “not at all”?
一点儿也不 / 一点儿都不 + adjective: 一点儿也不贵.
What does 一下 mean after a verb?
“Briefly, for a moment” — it softens requests: 等一下, 看一下, 用一下.
Is it 一点儿 or 一点?
Both. The -r form is northern; 一点 is standard in the south and Taiwan.
- Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), official HSK site (chinesetest.cn).
- 中国社会科学院语言研究所, 《现代汉语词典》 — entries for 一点儿 and 有点儿, including their -r and non-r forms.
- 吕叔湘 (Lü Shuxiang), 《现代汉语八百词》 — on the positions and meanings of 一点儿 / 有点儿 and verb reduplication.
Keep reading
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