Meaning of 差点儿
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- erhua variant of 差點|差点[cha4 dian3]
How to use 差点儿
差点儿 goes before the verb to say something nearly happened. It is common in spoken Chinese, especially in northern speech, and means the same as 差点 (chàdiǎn). Example: 我差点儿迟到了。(Wǒ chàdiǎnr chídào le.) I was almost late.
差 (chà) means short of or lacking, and 点儿 (diǎnr) means a little bit. Put together, 差点儿 is "short by a little bit", so something almost happened but did not quite.
Common mistake: Learners often read 差 as chā or chāi. In 差点儿 it is always chà, with the fourth tone. Also, the 儿 is not a separate syllable. It joins 点 to make one sound, diǎnr.
差点儿 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
差 chà · different · 9 strokes
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点 diǎn · to touch briefly · 9 strokes
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儿 ér · son · 2 strokes
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- 2
Related words
Words that share a character with 差点儿.
| 这儿 | zhèr | here |
| 儿子 | érzi | son |
| 哪儿 | nǎr | where?; wherever; anywhere; somewhere |
| 女儿 | nǚ'ér | daughter |
| 那儿 | nàr | there |
| 一会儿 | yīhuìr | a moment; a while |
| 地点 | dìdiǎn | place; site |
| 没事儿 | méishìr | to have spare time; free from work |
| 一点儿 | yīdiǎnr | erhua variant of 一點|一点[yi1 dian3] |
| 女孩儿 | nǚháir | erhua form of 女孩[nu : 3 hai2] |
| 一块儿 | yīkuàir | erhua variant of 一塊|一块[yi1 kuai4] |
| 玩儿 | wánr | to play; to have fun |
Questions about 差点儿
What does 差点儿 mean?
差点儿 (chàdiǎnr) means "erhua variant of 差點|差点[cha4 dian3]" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 差点儿?
差点儿 is made of 3 characters: 差 (9 strokes), 点 (9 strokes), 儿 (2 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 差点儿 an HSK word?
Yes. 差点儿 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 差点儿 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 差点儿 is written 差點兒.
Does 差点儿没 mean the same as 差点儿?
For unwanted events, yes. 我差点儿摔倒 and 我差点儿没摔倒 both mean I almost fell, but I did not. For wanted events, 差点儿没 means it nearly failed but did happen, as in 我差点儿没赶上车 (I almost missed the bus, but I caught it).
What is the difference between 差点儿 and 几乎 (jīhū)?
Both can mean almost, but 差点儿 is more casual and stresses a narrow escape or near miss. 几乎 is more neutral and can also describe amounts, as in 几乎所有人 (almost everyone), where 差点儿 does not fit.