When to use 儿 or not

[eliaso]

I asked my teacher why do we have the expression  哪里，哪里 while 哪儿，哪儿 is awkward..

 

Oh, and to this I guess it's exactly as you put it - it's set expression. That's why it would be awkward to change it into something else.

[jobm]

I mean like if you are receiving a complement, you would use 哪儿，哪儿, right? But my old teacher once told me, you could interchange 哪里 and 哪儿. Then one of my lessons here in China, I asked my teacher here if there is an expression like 哪儿，哪儿 but she said there is not. So, 哪里 and 哪儿 are not the same at all. But I can't find any reason why there is no 哪儿哪儿 and considering 哪儿 is common here in Dongbei, why don't  东北人 use 哪儿，哪儿 but rather use 哪里,哪里 then? I think the etymology of this expression can give light to this...

[Demonic_Duck]

I think I misunderstood your post because you didn't use quotation marks, and I was parsing the comma as part of the sentence rather than part of the expression. Anyway, “哪里，哪里” is a set expression, I think it's common for set expressions to be rigid in ways that the language in general isn't. By changing the word choice, word order etc. you can lose the original meaning.

[roddy]

"Perhaps there is some sort of style guide out there for it. "

There's the 普通话水平测试 (the exam you have to take to be an elementary school teacher, TV presenter, etc) and its list of 轻声 and 儿化 words - scroll down for the 儿化. But there's always going to be differences between what you read, what you hear, and what people tell you.

 

To add to what I said earlier, this isn't worth getting too hung up about. If your biggest pronunciation issue is where to stick an 儿, you're already a winn儿 at Chinese.

[geraldc]

Don't forget 19th Sept  add 儿 all you wish

[studychinese]

"If your biggest pronunciation issue is where to stick an 儿, you're already a winn儿 at Chinese"

Oh my, that gave me goosebumps.