slightly inferior; almost happened
Meanings
2 senses · 8 examplesadjective
slightly inferior in quality; not quite as good
informalUsed to compare two things, indicating one is a little worse than the other.
This type of pen is a bit worse than that type.
His grades are slightly worse than mine.
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This phone model's features are a bit lacking, but the price is cheap.
adverb
almost; nearly; came close to happening but didn't
informalIts exact interpretation depends on the speaker's desire and whether '没' is present. For undesirable events, both '差点儿 VP' and '差点儿没 VP' mean the event ALMOST happened but DID NOT (e.g., almost fell but didn't). For desirable events, '差点儿 VP' means it ALMOST happened but DID NOT (regretful), while '差点儿没 VP' means it ALMOST didn't happen but FINALLY DID (relieved).
I almost fell down. (I didn't fall, speaker didn't want to fall)
I almost didn't fall down. (I didn't fall, speaker didn't want to fall)
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He almost caught the train. (He didn't catch it, speaker wanted him to)
He almost didn't catch the train. (He caught it, speaker wanted him to)
We almost won this ball game. (But we didn't)