Measure Words/量词（liang4ci2)
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In Chinese, most specified
or numbered nouns must be preceded by measure words
according to the type of object. It is like the English
use of “pair” in the phrase “two pairs of pants”. Like the
word “pair,” Chinese measure words are placed between the
noun and the preceding number or demonstrative pronoun. |
1. 这本书里没有一个汉字。
- Zhè bĕn shū lǐ méi yŏu yí
gè Hànzì.
- This book
doesn’t contain one Chinese character.
2. 那间宿舍有六十个学生。
- Nà jiān sùshè yŏu liùshí
ge xuésheng.
- That dorm has
sixty students.
Some Common Measure Words
Column key: Trad. is
Traditional, Simp. shows changes made for the simplified
variant (if any).
| Trad. |
Simp. |
Pinyin |
Main uses |
Example |
| 個 |
个 |
ge (gè) |
individual things,
people — usage of this classifier in conjunction with any
noun is generally accepted if the person does not know the
proper classifier. |
一个书包 yí gè shū bāo, a
schoolbag |
| 把 |
|
bǎ |
"handful" — objects
that can be held or grabbed (knives, scissors, keys; also
chairs) |
一把刀 yì bă dāo. One
knife. |
| 包 |
|
bāo |
"package", "bundle" |
一包纸巾 yì bāo zhǐ jīn; a
package of paper towels |
| 杯 |
|
bēi |
"cup" — drinks |
一杯水 yì bēi shuǐ. A cup
of water. |
| 本 |
|
běn |
"volume" — any bound
print or written matter (books, etc.) |
一本书 yì běn shū. A book. |
| 册 |
|
cè |
slimmer volumes of
books |
| 次 |
|
cì |
"time" — opportunities,
accidents |
| 滴 |
|
dī |
"droplet" water, blood,
and other such fluids |
| 點 |
点 |
diǎn |
ideas, suggestions, can
also mean "a bit" |
| 朵 |
|
duǒ |
flowers, clouds |
一朵花 yì duŏ huā. One
flower. |
| 根 |
|
gēn |
thin, slender objects,
lit. "a root of a..." (needles, pillars, grass, vegetable
roots etc.) |
| 家 |
|
jiā |
gathering of people
(families, companies, etc.) |
| 架 |
|
jià |
objects with a "frame"
or structure; generally used for machines or mechanical
objects (esp. cars, planes, etc.) |
一架車 yì jià chē. One
car. |
| 件 |
|
jiàn |
matters, clothing, etc. |
一件衣服 yí jiàn yī fù |
| 節 |
节 |
jié |
"a section" — of
bamboo, tutorials and classes, etc. |
| 輛 |
辆 |
liàng |
automobiles, bicycles,
vehicles, etc. |
一辆车 yí liàng chē. One
car. |
| 面 |
|
miàn |
any flat and smooth
objects, lit. "a surface of a..." (mirrors, flags, walls,
etc.) |
| 匹 |
|
pǐ |
horses and other
mounts, or rolls/bolts of cloth |
一匹马 yì pǐ mă. One
horse. |
| 片 |
|
piàn |
"slice" — any flat
objects, like cards, slices of bread, tree leaves etc. |
| 瓶 |
|
píng |
"bottle" — drinks |
| 艘 |
|
sōu |
ships |
一艘船 yì sōu chuán. One
ship. |
| 所 |
|
suǒ |
any buildings,
apartment |
| 台 |
|
tái |
heavy objects (TVs,
computers, etc.) and performances (in theatre esp., etc.) |
| 條 |
条 |
tiáo |
long, narrow, flexible
objects (fish, trousers, etc.) |
一条鱼 yì tiáo yú. One
fish. |
| 頭 |
头 |
tóu |
"head" — herd animals
(pigs, cows, sheep etc., never for fowls or birds),
hair |
一头牛 yì tóu niú
(Literally translated into English, "头" means head. So
literally we are saying one head of cattle.) |
| 位 |
|
wèi |
polite classifier for
people (e.g. "gentleman", "professors") |
| 張 |
张 |
zhāng |
"sheet" — squarish or
rectangular flat objects (paper, tables, etc.), faces,
bows, paintings, tickets, constellations |
一张纸 yì zhāng zhĭ. One
piece of paper. |
| 支 |
|
zhī |
stick-like objects
(pens, chopsticks, etc.) |
| 隻 |
只 |
zhī |
one of a pair (e.g.
hands, limbs), animals (birds, cats, etc.) |
一只狗 yì zhī gŏu. One
dog. |
| 種 |
种 |
zhǒng |
types or kinds of
objects, ideas, etc. |
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