些 (xiē) and 点儿 (diǎnr) look like vocabulary — "some" and "a little" — but grammatically they are measure words, and this page is about the one thing that matters for using them correctly: where they sit. They occupy the classifier slot, the exact position that 本 (běn) or 张 (zhāng) fills between a specifier and a noun. Getting the slot right explains almost every rule about them — why you never add 个, why 三些 is impossible, why "these" is 这些 and not 这. The meaning difference (how much is 点儿 versus 些, 一点儿 versus 有点儿) is a separate topic handled on the 点 and 些 quantity page; here we lock down the structure.
The classifier slot: 些 and 点儿 fill it
Chinese never lets a specifier bump straight into a countable noun — a measure word has to package the noun into units first (see why the measure word is obligatory). 些 and 点儿 are simply indefinite fillers for that same slot: instead of "one volume of book" they give you "some book(s)" or "a bit of." Line them up against the counting classifiers and the parallel is exact:
| Slot filler | Structure | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number + counting MW | 三 + 本 + 书 | 三本书 (sān běn shū) | three books |
| 一 + 些 | 一 + 些 + 书 | 一些书 (yìxiē shū) | some books |
| 一 + 点儿 | 一 + 点儿 + 水 | 一点儿水 (yìdiǎnr shuǐ) | a little water |
| Demonstrative + 些 | 这 + 些 + 人 | 这些人 (zhèxiē rén) | these people |
Because 些 and 点儿 are the measure word, the slot is now full — you attach them straight to the noun with nothing extra in between, and adding 个 is as wrong as saying 三本个书.
我买了一些菜，晚上做火锅。
wǒ mǎi le yìxiē cài, wǎnshang zuò huǒguō
I bought some vegetables — we'll do hotpot tonight. (informal) — 一些 in the slot, no 个 after it.
锅里还有一点儿汤，你喝吗？
guō li hái yǒu yìdiǎnr tāng, nǐ hē ma?
There's still a bit of soup in the pot — do you want it? (informal) — 一点儿 fills the same slot 本/张 would.
这些杯子都得洗一下。
zhèxiē bēizi dōu děi xǐ yíxià
These cups all need a wash. (informal) — 这些 = demonstrative + 些 in the classifier slot.
Only 一 or a demonstrative — never a bare number
Here is the rule that separates these two from every counting classifier. A counting classifier accepts any number in front of it: 一本, 三本, 十本. But 些 and 点儿 accept only 一 (or a demonstrative). The moment you know the exact count, you cannot use 些/点儿 at all — you must switch back to a counting classifier.
| Want to say | Indefinite | Definite count |
|---|---|---|
| book(s) | 一些书 (some books) | 三本书 (three books) |
| apple(s) | 一些苹果 (some apples) | 两个苹果 (two apples) |
| water | 一点儿水 (a little water) | 三杯水 (three cups of water) |
So 三些, 两些, 三点儿 are all impossible: the number and the indefinite measure are competing for the same job. Think of 些/点儿 as saying "an unspecified amount" — the instant you specify, you've contradicted them.
书架上有一些书，我还没看。
shūjià shang yǒu yìxiē shū, wǒ hái méi kàn
There are some books on the shelf I haven't read yet. (neutral) — vague amount, so 一些.
我从图书馆借了三本书。
wǒ cóng túshūguǎn jiè le sān běn shū
I borrowed three books from the library. (neutral) — a known count switches to the counting classifier 本.
再给我一点儿时间，马上就好。
zài gěi wǒ yìdiǎnr shíjiān, mǎshàng jiù hǎo
Give me a little more time, I'll be done in a moment. (informal) — 一点儿, never 两点儿.
这些 / 那些 / 哪些: the plural in the slot
When a demonstrative takes the slot, 些 is what makes it plural. 这个 (zhège) points at one thing; 这些 (zhèxiē) points at several. The same swap gives 那些 (nàxiē, "those") and 哪些 (nǎxiē, "which ones"). This mirrors exactly how demonstratives open the measure-word slot — 些 is just the plural classifier sitting where 个 or 本 would sit. (The pointing meaning of 这/那/哪 itself is covered under demonstratives.)
这些照片是我去年拍的。
zhèxiē zhàopiàn shì wǒ qùnián pāi de
I took these photos last year. (informal) — 这些 = plural 'these', 些 in the slot.
那些椅子太旧了，该换了。
nàxiē yǐzi tài jiù le, gāi huàn le
Those chairs are too old — time to replace them. (informal) — 那些 for a plural set.
这么多菜，哪些是辣的？
zhème duō cài, nǎxiē shì là de?
With this many dishes, which ones are spicy? (informal) — 哪些 asks about a plural set; 哪个 would ask about one.
What this page leaves to its sibling
Everything structural lives here; everything semantic lives next door. How much 点儿 implies versus 些, when to lean countable versus mass, the crucial 一点儿-vs-有点儿 split (measuring a noun versus grading an adjective), and the colloquial cousins 一点点 and 好些 — all of that is on the 点 and 些 quantity page. If your question is "which one means a smaller amount," go there; if it's "where does the word go and can I add 个," stay here.
Common Mistakes
1. Putting a number above 一 in front of 些 or 点儿. These are indefinite measures; a real count needs a counting classifier instead.
❌ 我买了三些苹果。
Incorrect — 些 can't follow a number. For a count use a classifier: 三个苹果 (three apples).
✅ 我买了一些苹果。
wǒ mǎi le yìxiē píngguǒ
I bought some apples. — 些 follows only 一 (or a demonstrative).
2. Adding 个 after 些 or 点儿. The slot is already filled — 些/点儿 is the measure word.
❌ 我有一些个问题想问你。
Non-standard — 些 is already the measure word; drop 个.
✅ 我有一些问题想问你。
wǒ yǒu yìxiē wèntí xiǎng wèn nǐ
I have some questions to ask you. — 一些 alone, no 个.
3. Numbering 点儿. Like 些, 点儿 takes only 一 (often dropped after a verb), never 两/三.
❌ 我想喝两点儿茶。
Incorrect — 点儿 can't take a number. Say 一点儿茶, or after the verb just 喝点儿茶.
✅ 我想喝一点儿茶。
wǒ xiǎng hē yìdiǎnr chá
I'd like a little tea. — 一点儿, or 喝点儿茶 with 一 dropped.
4. Using singular 这个 when you mean a plural set. For "these/those + several," the plural filler is 些: 这些 / 那些, not 这个 / 那个.
❌ 这个人都是我的同事。
Mismatch — 这个人 is 'this (one) person', which clashes with the plural 都. Use 这些人.
✅ 这些人都是我的同事。
zhèxiē rén dōu shì wǒ de tóngshì
These people are all my colleagues. — 这些 is the plural in the slot.
Key Takeaways
- 些 and 点儿 are indefinite measure words — they fill the classifier slot, exactly parallel to 一本 / 一张.
- Because they are the measure word, you never add 个: 一些书 ✓, 一些个书 ✗.
- They follow only 一 or a demonstrative — never a bare number above one. A known count switches to a counting classifier: 三本书, not 三些书.
- Demonstrative + 些 gives the plural set: 这些 / 那些 / 哪些, versus singular 这个 / 那个 / 哪个.
- The meaning nuance (量的大小), 一点儿 vs 有点儿, and 一点点 / 好些 all live on the 点 和 些 quantity page — this page is only about the slot.
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- 点 and 些 (A Bit / Some)HSK 1 — (一)点儿 (yìdiǎnr, 'a little') and (一)些 (yìxiē, 'some/several') are ready-made quantity words that attach straight to a noun — they already contain the measure, so you never add 个: 一点儿水, 一些书, 这些人.
- Measure Words with 这 / 那 / 每HSK 1 — Measure words are not just for counting — the demonstratives 这 (zhè, 'this'), 那 (nà, 'that'), 哪 (nǎ, 'which') and the quantifier 每 (měi, 'every') all open the same obligatory classifier slot: 这本书, 那位老师, 每个人, 哪张票.
- The Default 个HSK 1 — 个 (gè, usually neutral-toned ge) is the general-purpose measure word — the safe fallback when you don't know the specific classifier — and it correctly covers people, many everyday objects, and abstract nouns; the goal is to graduate to specific classifiers while keeping 个 for the nouns that genuinely take it.
- 几 + MW (Approximate / How Many)HSK 1 — 几 (jǐ) plus a measure word means both 'how many?' in questions and 'a few / several' in statements — 几个人？ (how many people?) and 我有几本书 (I have a few books) — always keeping its classifier, exactly like a number.