小人儿 (xiǎo rén ér) — child, little one (affectionate); short person,…

Definition

Affectionate Beijing-dialect term for a small child (similar to 宝宝), but can also be a derogatory jab at someone's short stature, so context matters.

noun

childlittle one (affectionate)short persondwarf (can be derogatory)

Measure word · 个

小人儿，。
Nà ge xiǎo rén ér zhēn kě ài, yì zhí zài xiào.
That little child is so cute, laughing all the time.
小人儿，。
Tā men jiā xīn tiān le yí gè xiǎo rén ér, dà jiā dōu gāo xìng huài le.
Their family added a new little one, and everyone was overjoyed.
小人儿，。
Bié nà me jiào rén jiā xiǎo rén ér, tā huì bù gāo xìng de.
Don't call him a 'shorty' like that, he'll get upset.

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.

小人small person

偏正Modifier + head

儿érfamiliar feel

小 points to smallness, 人 to a person, and 儿 gives a familiar, little feel, so it can mean a child or little person.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

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.

Appears in