自个儿 (zì gě r) — (dialectal) oneself; by oneself

Definition

自个儿 (zì gěr) is a colloquial, northern-Chinese way to say 'oneself / by oneself' — used only in casual speech. Neutral register; not for formal writing.

pronoun
(dialectal) oneselfby oneself

Examples

  • 自个儿，。
    Nǐ zì gě r chī ba, wǒ bú è.
    You eat by yourself; I'm not hungry.
  • 自个儿。
    Tā zì gě r yí gè rén qù le běi jīng.
    He went to Beijing by himself.
  • 自个儿。
    Zhè xiē shì nǐ dé zì gě r xiǎng bàn fǎ.
    You have to figure these things out on your own.

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.

自个self individual
自zìself个gèindividual
偏正Modifier + head
儿érer

“自” points to the self, “个” frames it as one individual, and “儿” adds the spoken flavor.

Characters in this word

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

自 originally drew a nose. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write 自, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 自 →

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 →

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