差一点

差一點

chàyīdiǎn

adverb #24,318

Meanings

1 almost
2 nearly
3 just a little short of

Characters

to be short of, lacking

a little, a dot, a point

Examples

他差一点就赶上了那班火车。

Tā chà yī diǎn jiù gǎn shàng le nà bān huǒ chē.

He almost caught that train.

她差一点哭出来。

Tā chà yī diǎn kū chū lái.

She almost burst into tears.

我差一点忘了今天是她的生日。

Wǒ chà yī diǎn wàng le jīn tiān shì tā de shēng rì.

I almost forgot that today was her birthday.

Tips

grammar

差一点 can mean either 'almost did X' or 'almost (narrowly avoided) X' — the intended meaning depends on context. 差一点就成功了 means almost succeeded; 差一点摔倒了 means almost fell down (but didn't). Usually, the outcome did NOT happen.

Stroke Order

差 chà

一 yī

点 diǎn