尔 ěr — thus; so; like that; you; thou
我偶尔会去那家餐厅吃饭。Wǒ ǒu ěr huì qù nà jiā cān tīng chī fàn.I occasionally go to that restaurant to eat.
Common words: 偶尔 (ǒu ěr)、高尔夫球 (gāo ěr fū qiú)、尔来 (ěr lái)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "thou"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "thou", including 尔 (ěr), 卿 (qīng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "thou" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 尔 (ěr), 卿 (qīng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span ěr, qīng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 尔 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 尔 ěrthus; so; like that; you; thouUseful words: 偶尔, 高尔夫球
- 卿 qīng(old) minister; (old) term of endearment between spouses; thou (poet.)Useful words: 公卿, 九卿
Common words for these 2 "thou" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 尔 (ěr) — so "thou" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "thou".
卿 qīng — (old) minister; (old) term of endearment between spouses; thou (poet.)
古时候，朝廷里设有许多公卿大臣。Gǔ shí hou, cháo tíng lǐ shè yǒu xǔ duō gōng qīng dà chén.In ancient times, the court had many high ministers and officials.
Common words: 公卿 (gōng qīng)、九卿 (jiǔ qīng)、国务卿 (guó wù qīng)
All 2 characters
Open 尔、卿 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.