TongTong
Sign in

个儿 (gè r) — (colloquial) size, height, stature; (colloquial) individual item or person; (colloquial) rival, peer (in comparison)

Definition

个儿 (gèr) is a colloquial noun built on the measure word 个, used for size/stature, for 'per piece', and (only when comparing two people) for 'rival/peer'. It is spoken and informal, so avoid it in writing.

noun
(colloquial) sizeheightstature(colloquial) individual item or person(colloquial) rivalpeer (in comparison)

Examples

  • 个儿。
    Tā gè r hěn gāo.
    He is very tall.
  • 。
    Zhè zhǒng píng guǒ yí gè r hěn guì.
    This type of apple is expensive per piece.
  • 个儿。
    Tā men liǎng gè zài bǐ gè r.
    The two of them are competing with each other.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

个gèindividual
儿érsuffix

个 (individual) plus 儿 gives a colloquial sense of size, height, or a single item.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 個; 个 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
固
固gù個ge
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 个, the form 個 pairs 亻 (person) with 固 as a sound part.

Open 个 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape 儿 is a simple drawing of a standing person, used as an alternate form of the character for person.

Open 儿 →
Appears in
People (General)Size & Dimension

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.