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They both mean "a little bit" according to the dictionary. However, does the meaning both apply in V and Adjective?

i.e. V + 一点儿/一下儿 (吃一点儿/吃一下儿，快一点儿/快一下儿) and Adj + 一点儿/一下儿 (美一点儿/美一下儿, 好一点儿，好一下儿)

In the above examples, my native Chinese friend told me she rarely or even never heard 快一下儿，美一下儿，好一下儿. So my question: is there any difference of meaning and usage between 一点儿 and 一下儿?

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3 Answers 3

一下 is a little (time.) This makes it mostly after a verb. I believe the two most common uses are:

  • 等一下 (děng yíxià) Wait a bit
  • 休息一下 (xiūxi yíxià) Rest a little while

It is also used as a numeral classifier after a verb, indicating an attempt or act:

  • 看一下 (kàn yíxià) have a look
  • 试一下 (shì yíxià) have a try

一点（儿） is a little (quantity.) Some common uses are:

  • 我会说一点儿。 (Wǒ huì shuō yìdiǎnr.) I can speak a little bit.
  • 快（一）点儿！(Kuài diǎnr!) Hurry up (a bit!)

It also gets used before a negative expression (or after 这么 or 那么,) meaning "(not) even a little bit"

  • 一点儿也不方便。 (Yìdiǎnr yě bù fāngbiàn.) Not even a little bit convenient.
  • 这事我就知道那么一点儿。 (Zhè shì wǒ jiù zhīdao nàme yìdiǎnr.) That's all I know about it.

Contrast this to 有（一）点（儿） which is a little (degree.) Examples:

  • 我有点儿累。 (Wǒ yǒudiǎnr lèi.) I'm a bit tired.
  • 第十一课有点儿难 (Dì shí yī kè yǒudiǎnr nán.) Lesson 11 is a bit difficult.
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+1. 一下 mostly describes the action while 一点 depicts the object (could be abstract). This can be seen in 吃一点儿 vs. 吃一下儿. 吃一点儿 means eating a small amount of food, but 吃一下儿 means the action of eating is swift. – Rephinx May 13 '14 at 6:55

一下 is mainly talking about time While 一点 is talking about quantity

One learners dictionary says the following of 一下 (used after a verb to indicate the action is done briefly or casually)

While describing 一点儿 as a tiny amount, a bit

In your examples 一點兒 has the following meaning

3 {grammar} (a bit) more... (following an adjective, used to form the comparative, e.g., hǎo yī diǎn 好一點/好一点 "[somewhat] better", dà yī diǎn 大一點/大一点 "[a little] larger", etc.)

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一点儿，一般指数量，如爱你多一点儿； 一下儿，一般指动作，如亲你一下儿。 另外，“儿”在这里没有实际意义。

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It's better to give the explanation in English, if the question was asked by English. – songyuanyao May 13 '14 at 1:51
@kaiyu can you please explain this sentence in English. Thank you – Growler May 13 '14 at 17:08

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