There are a few different ways to say a few in Mandarin Chinese, depending on the context and the objects under discussion.
- yī xiē 一些 – some; a few
- duō shǎo 多少 – somewhat; a few
- jǐ 幾 – a few (usually used for amounts less than 10)
- yī diǎn 一點/一点 – a bit; a little
- méi yǒu 沒有/没有 – don’t have; none; don’t have any
Following are a few examples of sentences which translate the English any, some, and a few.
Do You Have Any Money?
Do you have any money?
Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu qián?
(trad) 你有沒有錢?
(simp) 你有没有钱?
Yes, I have some.
Yǒu, wǒ yǒu yīxiē qián.
(trad) 有 , 我有一些錢｡
(simp) 有 , 我有一些钱｡
No, I don’t have any.
Méiyǒu, wǒ méiyǒu qián.
(trad) 沒有 , 我沒有錢｡
(simp) 没有 , 我没有钱｡
Do you have any money left?
Nǐ hái yǒu duōshǎo qián?
(trad) 你還有多少錢?
(simp) 你还有多少钱?
Yes, I have some left.
Wǒ hái yǒu yīxiē qián.
(trad) 我還有一些錢｡
(simp) 我还有一些钱｡
More Examples Of Few, Some, Any
I have a few books.
Wǒ yǒu jī běn shū.
(trad) 我有幾本書｡
(simp) 我有几本书｡
Do you want some fruit?
Nǐ yào yīxiē shuǐguǒ ma?
(trad) 你要一些水果嗎?
(simp) 你要一些水果吗?
Give me a few.
Gěi wǒ yī diǎn.
(trad) 給我一點｡
(simp) 给我一点｡
Give me some.
Gěi wǒ yī xiē.
(trad) 給我一些｡
(simp) 给我一些｡
Give him a few.
Gěi tā yī diǎn.
(trad) 給他一點｡
(simp) 给他一点｡
Some of my friends.
Wǒ de yīxiē péngyou.
我的一些朋友｡
