# 小孩(儿)



## James Bates

I read somewhere that in standard Mandarin, 小孩 requires 儿化 at the end, just like 一点 and 一会 do. However, I have heard some native Chinese speakers pronounce it without 儿化. Were they using substandard pronunciation or are both pronunciations equally acceptable in 普通话?


----------



## Asadullah

Please note that 一点 does not require erhua; it is merely optional. However, 一会 and 一块 do require it in putonghua.


----------



## Skatinginbc

(1) 子女 (a son or daughter; an offspring): 是誰家的小孩考上了研究所?
(2) 幼童 (a minor, particularly one between birth and puberty): 你還是個小孩兒, 不能喝酒.
Although it is optional, I think I am more inclined to add an 兒 for Definition #2.


----------



## Moon boy

Skatinginbc said:


> (1) 子女 (a son or daughter; an offspring): 是誰家的小孩考上了研究所?
> (2) 幼童 (a minor, particularly one between birth and puberty): 你還是個小孩兒, 不能喝酒.
> Although it is optional, I think I am more inclined to add an 兒 for Definition #2.



It is merely optional in both meanings. In other words, it is not required in either meaning. Just like it is optional in 好玩 ("fun").


----------



## Asadullah

I don't think it is optional in 好玩. It is necessary.


----------



## hx1997

I suspect there are some regional differences in the pronunciation, but to me (who lives in southern China) the following applies:

小孩(儿) - optional
一点(儿) - (in the sense of "a little bit") optional; (in the sense of "one o'clock") always without
一会儿 - mostly necessary, but understandable without
一块(儿) - (in the sense of "together") optional; (in the sense of "a piece (of)") always without
好玩(儿) - (in the sense of "enjoyable; fun") optional; (in the sense of "interesting; attractive because of its peculiarities") necessary

OK, I consulted the dictionary (《现代汉语词典》 if you wonder), and it totally shocked me.

小孩儿, 一点儿 (a little bit), 一会儿, 一块儿 (together), 好玩儿 all require 儿 in *spoken* language, but it is optional in *written* language.

I don't see anyone cling tenaciously to this prescription though.


----------



## retrogradedwithwind

Yeah it's all about regional difference. I perfer to add 儿 always


----------



## SuperXW

Regional difference. Many southern Chinese seldom use 儿化 except for 一会儿. While many northerners use 儿化 anyway.
《现代汉语词典》 sets standard for Mainland Putonghua, which is based on Beijing dialect (northern). Taiwanese dictionaries would say differently.


----------



## Sprity

SuperXW said:


> Regional difference.


Agree.Some southern Chinese just cannot pronounce "er",so they don't use it.As for "一會兒",it can be replaced by "一陣".


----------



## fyl

I think the 'er' in 一会儿 and 一块儿 are essential (unless you replace it with a different word, e.g. 一阵 一起). Without 儿化, they would be unintelligible.
For 好玩, 一点, the 'er' is kind of optional. Without 儿化, people can still understand these words. It's just a matter of dialectal difference.
To me, 小孩 is in the middle. There would be some difficulties if it is pronounced without 儿化, but I should be able to work it out without much problem.


----------



## tigery6

I think 儿 is only pronounced in the north. It sounds ok to me, but I would never use it. I would say basically it depends on where you are from. Whether you use it or not, there isn't much a big difference.


----------



## chinoisautodidacte

北京话受满语影响喜欢儿化。别的地方大多无此习惯。没有什么实际区别


----------



## barbaross

fyl said:


> For 好玩, 一点, the 'er' is kind of optional. Without 儿化, people can still understand these words. It's just a matter of dialectal difference.



What about just 玩 ("to have a good time")? Is 儿化 necessary or optional?
I think it is optional because Collins give the following sample sentence:
我去泰国玩了一个星期。


----------



## SuperXW

barbaross said:


> What about just 玩 ("to have a good time")? Is 儿化 necessary or optional?
> I think it is optional because Collins give the following sample sentence:
> 我去泰国玩了一个星期。


For most northern Chinese who are used to "er", they'll make the sound in speeches anyway, regardless whether it is written out in text. 
For southerners who are not used to it, they'll skip the sound anyway.
By the way, we usually simply understand 玩 as "to play", rather than "to have a good time".


----------



## barbaross

That's not the impression I got. Whenever my Chinese friends tell me that they visited such and such city, I ask them "为什么？" and they invariably reply, "玩" (or "玩儿"). I assumed that they meant "To have a good time."

By the way, you didn't answer my initial question: Is it necessary to pronounce 儿化 in 玩? Or is it optional like in 好玩?

I seem to remember reading somewhere (though I can't remember where) that there are only two words in 普通话 where 儿化 is compulsory: 一会儿 and 一块儿. Aside from these two, it is always optional.


----------



## SuperXW

barbaross said:


> I seem to remember reading somewhere (though I can't remember where) that there are only two words in 普通话 where 儿化 is compulsory: 一会儿 and 一块儿. Aside from these two, it is always optional.


That's right. It is mentioned in post #10. 儿化 is generally optional. It depends on the dialectical habits.


barbaross said:


> That's not the impression I got. Whenever my Chinese friends tell me that they visited such and such city, I ask them "为什么？" and they invariably reply, "玩" (or "玩儿"). I assumed that they meant "To have a good time."


It seems we have different understanding about the word "play". In Chinese, "玩 (play)" can be the verb for any ACTION you enjoy in your leisure time, such as watching TV, partying, shopping, travelling. You "have a good time" BECAUSE you "玩 (play)".
You can't translate "have a good time" directly as 玩 in most scenarios. "Did you have a good time?" can't be translated as “你玩了吗？”


----------

