有点儿 or 一点儿: a bit too much, or a bit less
Position tells them apart. 有点儿 goes *before* an adjective and complains about it; 一点儿 goes *after* an adjective to reduce it, or before a noun to mean “a little”.
结构
有点儿 + 形容词／心理动词（不如意）→ 状语，在前 ｜ 形容词 + 一点儿 → 补语，在后 ｜ （一）点儿 + 名词
讲解
本文中的中文词语都可以激活，查看词典释义。
These two look alike, sound alike and mean roughly “a little”, which is why they are among the most reliably confused words at this level. Two questions settle every case: where does the word go, and how do you feel about it?
is an adverb. It stands in front of an adjective or a mental verb, and it almost always signals that something is not as you would like: “This is a bit expensive (more than I want to pay)”, , , . Because of that built-in complaint, does not go with words the speaker is happy about. is not a compliment — it is not said at all. Use instead.
is a quantity. It comes after an adjective and reduces it, usually with an implied comparison to how things are now: “a bit cheaper”, “a bit slower”, “come back a bit earlier”. In a sentence it fills the difference slot: “This one is a little more expensive than that one.”
also stands in front of a noun, where it simply means “a small amount of”: , . In this use is often dropped after a verb: .
One fixed expression is worth memorising whole: / “not in the slightest” — “I’m not tired at all.”
A note on spelling and speech: the is a northern habit. and are the same words without it, and are what you will see in most written Chinese and hear in the south.
正确
Say each one out loud before moving on. The audio is a reference pronunciation, not a model to imitate exactly — match the tone contour, not the voice.
这件衣服有点儿贵。這件衣服有點兒貴。
Zhè (fourth tone, falling) jiàn (fourth tone, falling) yīfu (first tone, high and level) yǒudiǎnr (third tone, dipping) guì. (fourth tone, falling)···
This jacket is a bit expensive.
能不能便宜一点儿？能不能便宜一點兒？
Néng (second tone, rising) bu (neutral tone) néng (second tone, rising) piányi (second tone, rising) yìdiǎnr? (fourth tone, falling)···
Could you make it a bit cheaper?
我今天有点儿累，想早一点儿休息。我今天有點兒累，想早一點兒休息。
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) jīntiān (first tone, high and level) yǒudiǎnr (third tone, dipping) lèi, (fourth tone, falling) xiǎng (third tone, dipping) zǎo (third tone, dipping) yìdiǎnr (fourth tone, falling) xiūxi. (first tone, high and level)···
I’m a bit tired today — I’d like to turn in a little earlier.
错误 — 常见错误
These sentences are wrong. They are printed here on purpose, each one paired with the repair and the reason, because the error you can recognise is the error you stop making.
不太对
Incorrect sentence: 这件衣服一点儿贵。
正确
Correct sentence: 这件衣服有点儿贵。
为什么: 一点儿 never comes before an adjective. The word that goes in front and carries the complaint is 有点儿.
不太对
Incorrect sentence: 请有点儿慢说。
正确
Correct sentence: 请说慢一点儿。
为什么: A request to reduce something uses 一点儿 after the adjective. 有点儿 would be a complaint about the speed, not a request to change it.
不太对
Incorrect sentence: 她有点儿漂亮。
正确
Correct sentence: 她很漂亮。
为什么: 有点儿 introduces something the speaker is not happy about, so it clashes with a word of praise. For a positive quality use 很, 非常 or 真.
对比
Most errors with this pattern are not errors about this pattern — they are a neighbouring pattern arriving at the wrong moment. Read these side by side.
The 一点儿 that follows an adjective is the same 一点儿 that fills the difference slot in a 比 sentence: 这个比那个贵一点儿 “This one is slightly more expensive.” That is a useful anchor, because it shows why 一点儿 must come *after* the adjective — the difference is measured on the quality, so it is attached to it. 有点儿 has no place in a 比 sentence at all: 这个比那个有点儿贵 is wrong, because 比 already states the comparison and 有点儿 is not a measurement but an attitude.
Comparing with 比 →很 and 有点儿 sit in the same slot in front of an adjective, and swapping them changes the message completely. 很 is neutral and often barely means “very” at all: 这件衣服很贵 simply reports a high price. 有点儿 adds the speaker’s discomfort: 这件衣服有点儿贵 says the price is a problem. That is why 有点儿 pairs with 累, 忙, 难, 贵, 冷 and with negatives such as 有点儿不舒服, while praise takes 很 — 很好, 很漂亮, 很有意思. Neither word can follow the adjective; that position belongs to 一点儿.
Adjectival predicates with 很 →小测验
第 1 题 / 3总分: 0
Choose the word that fits: you are haggling and want a lower price.
太贵了，能不能便宜 ___ ？