<p><a href="http://zhongwen.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Zhongwen.com</a> illustrates the different phrases one can put together with the  character  自 (zì). Note that "oneself" and "since then" are valid possible meanings. </p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/lmrvg.gif" alt="zi"></p>

<p><a href="http://jukuu.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Jukuu.com</a> provides many sample sentences for both of these phrases, here are two:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>She was humming a tune to herself.</p>
  
  <p>她自个儿哼着小调。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>(note that 從 cóng is simplified here as 从)</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>He hasn't been home since last year.</p>
  
  <p>自从去年至今他未回过家。</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-02T04:09:54.650Z
2014-08-02T04:09:54.650Z
Tommie C.
<blockquote>
<p>自个儿 zìgěr</p>
<p>pronoun colloquial</p>
<p>oneself, by oneself</p>
<p>不要只顾自个儿。Don’t just think about yourself.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>自个儿 is the a colloquial way to say 自己. On top of my head, I couldn't see any example where they are not interchangeable. The only difference between them perhaps is just that 自己 can be used in formal context while 自个儿 is rather colloquial.</p>
<p>Literally the word is composed with &quot;self&quot; &quot;one&quot; (儿 is just there to mimic the colloquial adjustment of pronunciation). So it's simply means self and one which could be understood as oneself, by oneself, oneself's etc. depending on the context.</p>
<p>It's can be used as a pronoun alone like the example given above.</p>
<p>More than often it would follow another noun part, subject or object and etc, to stress that it's object carry out the action alone. This can also make the reference more clear since 自个儿 itself only means oneself buy doesn't specify who the one is.</p>
<p>For example:
你自个儿 means &quot;you and oneself&quot;, which in turn means &quot;yourself&quot;.</p>
<p>So when you encountered 自个儿, just keep in mind it means that the object it refers to is finishing the sentence by itself and add appropriate adverb (by adding alone, by oneself) or change the pronoun (you-&gt;yourself) that fits other parts in your translation.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-01T23:53:14.863Z
thank you, and why does google translate it as ["since a"](https://translate.google.com/#auto/en/%E8%87%AA%E4%B8%AA)?
Ruslan Gerasimov
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-02T00:03:06.890Z
@RuslanGerasimov: It's because it mistaken it two words. 自 itself as a preposition has the meaning of from/since. 个 itself as a word means one, a, ones (and pronounced as gè). You see tokenization (breaking sentence or sentence segments in to words) is a very complicated subject since there is explicit boundaries between words like space in English.
user1228520
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-01T23:47:53.370Z
2014-08-01T23:47:53.370Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
user1228520
<p>ABC dictionary defines it as:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>oneself; by oneself</p>
<p>VARIANTS</p>
<p>自个儿〔自個兒〕 zìgěr</p>
<p>自各儿〔自各兒〕 zìgěr</p>
</blockquote>
<p><em>Basically it's the same as 自己</em> - it's just a regional thing.</p>
<p>Here's what Baidu says, with some example sentences.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>【自个儿】zìgěr</p>
<p>〈方〉自己。也作“自各儿”。</p>
<p>例：①不陪了，自个儿玩吧，您。</p>
<p>②不要客气，就当是自个儿的家。</p>
<p>③躲在门背后头吃馍馍——自个儿哄自个儿</p>
<p>④你自个儿的事，我怎么好插手？</p>
<p>⑤你们自个儿看吧，看中哪个跟我说。</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-01T22:41:35.683Z
thank you, and why google says it's ["since a"](https://translate.google.com/#auto/en/%E8%87%AA%E4%B8%AA)?
Ruslan Gerasimov
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-02T11:59:10.120Z
自 I guess is short for 自从 meaning since - 个 means one = since a
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-01T22:38:48.670Z
2014-08-01T22:38:48.670Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Mou某
<p>As a title, I have found to meanings for 自个:  "since a" or "oneself", what is correct and how to translate it?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-02T03:51:32.933Z
Better gives the whole sentence.  Translating word by word usually produces odd sentences.
Henry HO
<meaning><characters>
What does 自个 mean: "since a" or "onself"
# What does 自个 mean: "since a" or "onself"

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-08-01)

As a title, I have found to meanings for 自个: "since a" or "oneself", what is correct and how to translate it?

**Tags:** meaning, characters

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Better gives the whole sentence.  Translating word by word usually produces odd sentences.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-08-02. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

[Zhongwen.com](http://zhongwen.com) illustrates the different phrases one can put together with the character 自 (zì). Note that "oneself" and "since then" are valid possible meanings.

![zi](https://i.sstatic.net/lmrvg.gif)

[Jukuu.com](http://jukuu.com) provides many sample sentences for both of these phrases, here are two:

> She was humming a tune to herself.
>
> 她自个儿哼着小调。

(note that 從 cóng is simplified here as 从)

> He hasn't been home since last year.
>
> 自从去年至今他未回过家。


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2014-08-01. Score: 4

> 自个儿 zìgěr
>
> pronoun colloquial
>
> oneself, by oneself
>
> 不要只顾自个儿。Don’t just think about yourself.

自个儿 is the a colloquial way to say 自己. On top of my head, I couldn't see any example where they are not interchangeable. The only difference between them perhaps is just that 自己 can be used in formal context while 自个儿 is rather colloquial.

Literally the word is composed with "self" "one" (儿 is just there to mimic the colloquial adjustment of pronunciation). So it's simply means self and one which could be understood as oneself, by oneself, oneself's etc. depending on the context.

It's can be used as a pronoun alone like the example given above.

More than often it would follow another noun part, subject or object and etc, to stress that it's object carry out the action alone. This can also make the reference more clear since 自个儿 itself only means oneself buy doesn't specify who the one is.

For example:
你自个儿 means "you and oneself", which in turn means "yourself".

So when you encountered 自个儿, just keep in mind it means that the object it refers to is finishing the sentence by itself and add appropriate adverb (by adding alone, by oneself) or change the pronoun (you->yourself) that fits other parts in your translation.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: thank you, and why does google translate it as ["since a"](https://translate.google.com/#auto/en/%E8%87%AA%E4%B8%AA)?  
> **username_3**: @username_0: It's because it mistaken it two words. 自 itself as a preposition has the meaning of from/since. 个 itself as a word means one, a, ones (and pronounced as gè). You see tokenization (breaking sentence or sentence segments in to words) is a very complicated subject since there is explicit boundaries between words like space in English.  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2014-08-01. Score: 1

ABC dictionary defines it as:

> oneself; by oneself
>
> VARIANTS
>
> 自个儿〔自個兒〕 zìgěr
>
> 自各儿〔自各兒〕 zìgěr

*Basically it's the same as 自己* - it's just a regional thing.

Here's what Baidu says, with some example sentences.

> 【自个儿】zìgěr
>
> 〈方〉自己。也作“自各儿”。
>
> 例：①不陪了，自个儿玩吧，您。
>
> ②不要客气，就当是自个儿的家。
>
> ③躲在门背后头吃馍馍——自个儿哄自个儿
>
> ④你自个儿的事，我怎么好插手？
>
> ⑤你们自个儿看吧，看中哪个跟我说。

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: thank you, and why google says it's ["since a"](https://translate.google.com/#auto/en/%E8%87%AA%E4%B8%AA)?  
> **username_4**: 自 I guess is short for 自从 meaning since - 个 means one = since a  

---

