數字+幾grammar point · tier 1 · number + 幾 (a round number plus an unfixed few; 十幾 a dozen-odd, 幾十 several tens)
· jǐ
Attach 幾 to a round number to mean that number plus an unspecified few; its position fixes the size. 幾 after a round number (十幾) adds a few units on top; 幾 before 十/百 (幾十) counts a few of that rung.
Attach 幾 to a round number to mean that number plus an unspecified few; its position fixes the size. 幾 after a round num
框 · Frame
round-number 幾 (十幾、二十幾) → the round number + 1–9 more; 幾 round-number (幾十、幾百) → several of that rung
觸 · Trigger
You know the rough size but not the exact count, and want to say the round number with a vague few attached.
序 · The move
1Settle the round number you are sure of — the ten, the twenty, the hundred.Is the rung (十 / 百) the part you actually know?
2Decide which way the vagueness runs: a few units on top of the round number, or a few of the rung itself.Do I mean 'that number and a bit more' or 'several of that size'?
3Place 幾 after the round number for 'and a few more' (十幾), or before 十/百 for 'a few rungs' (幾十).Would the meaning survive if 幾 swapped sides? If yes, I have placed it wrong.
例 · Examples
1這條路上有十ten, the round number you are sure of幾and an unfixed few more (1–9)間measure word for rooms / establishments餐廳restaurant。
This road has a dozen-odd restaurants (ten-something).
Bare 幾 asks for a number (幾間餐廳？ how many?); 幾 tied to a round number answers with a vague one (十幾間 a dozen-odd). The question wants the count filled in; this construction states the count was never pinned down.
幾十 vs 十幾
Position fixes the size. 十幾 is ten with a few units added (11–19); 幾十 is a few whole tens (some 20s–90s). Move 幾 to the other side and the value jumps by an order; the two cannot be swapped.
稱數法 names an exact number place by place; 數字+幾 leaves one part deliberately unnamed — the round rung stays exact, the few attached to it does not.
✗ 十多幾間 → ✓ 十幾間 (one vague marker, not 多 and 幾 stacked)
✗ 幾十間 (meaning 'a dozen-odd') → ✓ 十幾間 (幾 goes after 十 for the teens)
✗ 十幾 餐廳 → ✓ 十幾間餐廳 (the measure word still sits between the count and the noun)
English says 'a dozen or so' or 'ten-odd' as a loose phrase; learners reach for a separate word like 大概 instead of letting 幾 itself carry the vagueness inside the number.