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孩儿 (hái ér) — child, offspring (formal, dated, or in classical/historical contexts); self-referential term used when speaking to one's parents, meaning 'your child'

Definition

A formal or classical-style word for 'child'. Most learners will meet it in historical dramas, where a child uses 孩儿 to refer to themselves when speaking to their parents.

noun
childoffspring (formal, dated, or in classical/historical contexts)self-referential term used when speaking to one's parents, meaning 'your child'
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，孩儿。
    Diē niáng zài shàng, hái ér gěi nín qǐng ān le.
    Father and mother, your child pays respects to you.
  • 孩儿。
    Nà ge hái ér cóng xiǎo jiù cōng ming líng lì.
    That child has been smart and clever since childhood.
  • ，孩儿。
    Gǔ shí hou, hái ér men cháng zài hé biān xī xì.
    In ancient times, children often played by the river.

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.

孩háichild
儿érdiminutive

The 'child' part is made familiar by the little '儿', giving a term for child.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
子子zǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
亥
亥hài孩hái
Same sound today

In 孩, the left part 子 shows a child, while the right part 亥 supplies the sound.

Open 孩 →

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
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