Definitions

xiē (adjective) some; a few; several
xiē (adjective) small amount greater than 1

Etymology phono-semantic

two

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "些" originates from a structural composition intended to express a sense of plural differentiation or an indefinite amount, formed by placing the element "二" meaning "two" beneath the character "此" meaning "this". This construction conceptually leveraged the idea of "this and that" or a small, enumerated set to imply a modest plurality. Over its historical development, the character's application moved from this early sense of vague quantity to become a standard and frequently used measure word for unspecified or small amounts of things, as seen in phrases like "一些" meaning "some". Its function also expanded to serve as a plural suffix for certain pronouns and demonstratives, such as in "這些" meaning "these", thereby solidifying its grammatical role in denoting plurality while retaining its core implication of a nonspecific quantity.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

请给我一水。

Qǐng gěi wǒ yīxiē shuǐ.

Please give me some water.

书很有趣。

Zhèxiē shū hěn yǒuqù.

These books are very interesting.

花很漂亮。

Nàxiē huā hěn piàoliang.

Those flowers are very beautiful.

我买了一水果。

Wǒ mǎile yīxiē shuǐguǒ.

I bought some fruits.

他吃了一面包和牛奶。

Tā chīle yīxiē miànbāo hé niúnǎi.

He ate some bread and milk.

我们需要准备礼物。

Wǒmen xūyào zhǔnbèi xiē lǐwù.

We need to prepare some gifts.

天天气很好。

Zhèxiē tiān tiānqì hěn hǎo.

These days the weather is very good.

他告诉我一重要的事情。

Tā gàosù wǒ yīxiē zhòngyào de shìqíng.

He told me some important things.