(wán yì ér) - thing, gadget, plaything in Mandarin
wányìérTraditional: 玩意兒
Translation
thing, gadget, plaything
Word origin
From 玩 (wán, to play) and 意 (yì, idea, sense) with the northern diminutive 儿 (ér), a thing you play with rather than a thing you use.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 玩 (wán, to play) + 意 (yì, idea) + 儿 (ér, diminutive)
Stroke order
玩
意
儿
Examples
？
What on earth is this thing?
。
He is holding some strange gadget.
。
Children like this sort of little gadget best.
。
That thing is of no use at all.
。
All sorts of cheap trinkets are sold at the market.
玩意儿 (wán yì ér) is a casual, faintly dismissive word for a thing: a gadget, a trinket, a gizmo whose name you cannot be bothered to find. It is northern speech, Beijing especially, and it always sounds informal.
Tone matters. 小玩意儿 is affectionate, a nice little thing; 什么玩意儿 said sharply is close to "what rubbish is this", and applied to a person it is an insult. The same three characters carry both, and only the delivery separates them.
The trap is using it as a neutral word for object. That job belongs to 东西 (dōng xi). Reach for 玩意儿 when you want the shrug that comes with it, and keep it out of anything written or formal.
Where this fits
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玩意儿: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "玩意儿" (thing, gadget, plaything): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 60.