小个子
xiǎo gè zi
In Chinese, the phrase "little man" is translated as 小个子 (xiǎo gè zi).
小个子 is used to describe someone who is short in stature.
Which one should you use?
While 小个子 describes physical height, other terms are used for different contexts: 小伙子 refers to a young man or a "young fellow" and 小子 is a casual way to say "little guy" or "youngster".
How does it change in a sentence?
The term 小个子 is gender-neutral. It can be used to refer to a man of short stature or a woman of short stature.
How do you pronounce it?
xiǎo gè zi
Did you know?
- While 小个子 describes height, if you call a man 小人, you are not describing his size but his character, implying he is a 'mean' or 'insignificant' person.
- The suffix 子 in 小个子 is a common way to turn nouns into more colloquial or informal terms in Mandarin.
- The word 个子 specifically refers to a person's height or build, whereas the word 个 on its own is one of the most common measure words in the language.
Examples in context
- 嗨，小伙子！你准备好玩游戏了吗？(Hāi, xiǎo huǒzi! Nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎo wán yóuxì le ma?)Hi there, little guy! Are you ready for the game?
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a new coworker at the office.
- 伟 Wei那个新同事是个小个子吗？Nàge xīn tóngshì shì gè xiǎo gèzi ma?Is that new colleague a little man?
- 梓涵 Zihan是的，伟，他个子挺小的。Shì de, Wěi, tā gèzi tǐng xiǎo de.Yes, Wei, he is quite short.
- 伟 Wei可是他看起来很精干。Kěshì tā kàn qǐlái hěn jīnggàn.But he looks very capable.
- 梓涵 Zihan没错，他工作效率很高。Méi cuò, tā gōngzuò xiàolǜ hěn gāo.That's right, he is very efficient at work.
