# Pronunciation: 这个 (zhei4 ge / zhe4 ge)



## afx

你好,

In Assimil Chinese text book I found *这个*, with pynyin *zhei4 ge*. However in dictionaries it is pronounced as *zhe4 ge*.

So I would like to ask whether there is an error in this book, or can 这个 be also pronounced this way?

Thanks a lot for answer.


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## xiaolijie

No error, and both are equally valid, afx!
It has a lot to do with personal speaking habits.


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## Johnny519

i just use zhe4, almost never used zhei4


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## qrokjae

seriously speaking, zhei4 is just short for "这一".
but chinese people do not care about the real reason.
these two are both available.


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## yuechu

There is also 那个/哪个 which is pronounced 那个na4ge/nei4ge and 哪个na3ge/nei3ge.


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## Meowstar

Well，zhei ge is some sort of dialect, but they are both well in regular conversations.


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## reer

qrokjae said:


> seriously speaking, zhei4 is just short for "这一".


Exactly.  It is helpful to understand it this way.

_In spoken language, when 这(zhè) is used independently or followed directly by a noun, it is pronounced "zhè"; when 这(zhè) is followed by a classifier or a numeral plus a classifier, it is pronounced "zhèi"; in the following examples of 这程子(zhèchéng·zi), 这个(zhè·ge), 这会儿(zhèhuìr), 这些(zhèxiē) and 这样(zhèyàng), it is pronounced "zhèi-"._  [quoted from Contemporary Chinese Dictionary - Chinese English Edition]

More examples:
这 箱 橘子(zhèi xiāng jú·zi) : 这+{measure word}+noun, this crate of oranges
这 四箱 橘子(zhèi sìxiāng jú·zi) : 这+{numeral+classifier}+noun, these four crates of oranges

那个(nèi·ge) and 哪个(něi·ge) are along the same line.


qrokjae said:


> these two are both available.


Mostly, not unconditionally.


qrokjae said:


> but chinese people do not care about the real reason.


We do not need to...


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## James Bates

^But Assimil has the sentence "这，我不清楚！" and the transliteration given for the first word is zhei4, not zhe4.


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## reer

^_这，我不清楚！_
这 can be reinforced as 这个(zhèi·ge), 这事儿(zhèishìr), 这件事儿(zhèijiànshìr), 这情况(zhèi qíngkuàng), 这个情况(zhèi·ge qíngkuàng), etc.

However, I personally think 这 in the sentence above can also be pronounced "zhè" to make the statement tone *less casual*.

If I ask someone about something and get a simple response like this (zhèi,……),  I would get the impression that he does not know much about it as he claims and at the same time he does not care a fig.  I hear people around me (me included) say 这个(zhèi·ge) more often.

Still, from my personal impression:
这事儿(zhèishìr)=这件事儿(zhèijiànshìr)=this matter
这事儿(zhèshìr)=这种事儿(zhèizhǒngshìr)=this sort of matter


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## Jamshed Aslam

In

这个人没有意思。

Is 这个 pronounced zhège or zhèige? Is there a rule for deciding when to use which pronunciation?


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## Asadullah

In 普通话, you must never use zhèige, because it is a colloquial pronunciation.
ALWAYS use zhège. Otherwise you will lose marks on the standardized test for native speakers of Mandarin.


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## fyl

In life, either zhe or zhei is OK, whichever you like.
Not sure about the test. Maybe both are right as zhei4 is included as a colloquial pronunciation in every standard dictionary (that a native speaker uses to take all tests).


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## retrogradedwithwind

普通话考试中不能读zhei吧


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## fyl

“这”和“那”字怎么读？―欣欣普通话在线学习网
「这」和「那」这俩字在普通话交流中可以不可以念作「zhèi」和「nèi」？ - 汉语 - 知乎
The following is quoted from 《普通话水平测试纲要》
“这”读“zhei”（第四声）、“那”读“nei”（四声）都是普通话（不仅是北京话）口语中多见的读法。值得注意的是，在口语中，当后面有量词，数量词组时，常读上述读法

So I believe "zhei" is correct in the test.


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## retrogradedwithwind

回头打听一下具体怎么操作的。


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