Kilo Lingo

(yì xiē) - some, a few in Mandarin

xiē

Traditional: 一些

Line drawing of 一些
Coloured illustration of 一些
HSK 2
#206 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

some, a few

Word origin

A compound of 一 (yī, 'one') and 些 (xiē, 'some, a few'). 些 combines 此 (cǐ, 'this') with 二 (èr, 'two'), conveying a small unspecified quantity.

Origin
compound
Root
一 (yī, 'one') + 些 (xiē, 'some'; 此 cǐ + 二 èr)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 一

Stroke order for 些

Examples

Give me some water.

There are still some questions.

I have some things to say.

I would like to buy some fruit.

He gave me some advice.

一些 (yì xiē) means some, a few. It is used as a other in everyday Mandarin speech.

Used in

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This word is part of lesson 5.