些

xiē
measure word HSK 1 #195

Meanings

  1. 1 some; a few
  2. 2 a little; somewhat

Examples

HSK 1
Zhèxiē shū shì wǒ de.
These books are mine.
HSK 1
Jīntiān hǎo yìxiē le.
It's a bit better today.
HSK 5
Tā gěi wǒ tí le yìxiē hěn yǒu jiàzhí de jiànyì.
He gave me some very valuable suggestions.

Tips

grammar
些 is used after 一, 这, 那, or 哪 to indicate an indefinite small quantity: 一些 (some), 这些 (these), 那些 (those), 哪些 (which ones). 一些 can also mean 'somewhat' when used with adjectives.

Components

radical
二 èr
two
Bottom indexing radical 二 (two horizontal lines). Reinforces the small-plural sense: 'this' over 'two' = 'these few, some'. Same radical files 五, 亏, 井. The radical is doing more semantic work here than usual - most 二-radical chars just borrow the radical for indexing, but in 些 it actively shapes the meaning.
phonetic
此 cǐ
this
Top 此 supplies the sound (cǐ → xiē, an initial drift but related sibilant) and a faint 'this/these' semantic - pointing to nearby things. 此 itself is 止 (foot) + 匕, a person stopping right here. Same phonetic in 紫 (purple) and 雌 (female).

Stroke Order

些 xiē