15 Most Common Chinese Measure Words: Lesson 3
15 Most Common Chinese Measure Words: Lesson 3
15 Most Common Chinese Measure Words: Lesson 3
量词
Measure words are used to specify a certain quantity of a given noun
a bar of chocolate
a party of friends
two pieces of news
three rolls of toilet
paper
several drops of mud
I. Generic Measure Word: 个 (gè)
一个老人 yí gè lǎorén an old man
两个孩子 liǎng gè háizi two kids
三个学生 sān gè xuésheng three students
Many non-human items, abstract objects, and words
1. 两个字 liǎng gè zì two characters
2. 三个橙子 sān gè chéngzi three oranges
3. 五个会 wǔ gè huì five meetings
4. 七个月 qī gè yuè seven months
5. 十个问题 shí gè wèntí ten questions
II. 位 (wèi)
一位老师 03
1 yí wèi lǎoshī a teacher
两位同事 liǎng wèi tóngshì two colleagues
三位客人 sān wèi kèrén three guests
And when you go to a restaurant in China, you are bound to hear the waiter
say this to you as part of the Chinese courtesy.
Note that the measure word 只 (zhī) normally sticks with smaller animals.
Now, 只 (zhī) can also be used to talk about items that come in pairs (one of a pair) such as
some body parts, shoes, etc.
For example:
1 02 03 04
V. 条 (tiáo)
01
VII. 张 (zhāng)
张 (zhāng) as it refers to flat things – paper, tickets, menus,
tables, chairs, beds, tickets and so on.
一张纸 yì zhāng zhǐ a piece of paper
两张票 liǎng zhāng piào two tickets
三张桌子 sān zhāng zhuōzi three tables
四张椅子 sì zhāng yǐzi four chairs
五张床 wǔ zhāng chuáng five beds
VIII. 本 (běn)
While 张 (zhāng) is used for a single sheet of paper,
talking about bound stuff such as books, or magazines.
That’s where 本 (běn) comes in handy!
一本书 yì běn shū a book
一本词典 yì běn cídiǎn a dictionary
两本杂志 liǎng běn zázhì two magazines
五本笔记本 wǔ běn bǐjìběn five notebooks
VIIII. 把 (bǎ)
The measure word 把 (bǎ) literally means “handful”. It’s
commonly used for objects that can be held and
implements with handles.
Examples:
一把刀 yì bǎ dāo a knife
一把叉子 yì bǎ chāzi a fork
一把剪刀 yì bǎ jiǎndāo a pair of scissors
一把伞 yì bǎ sǎn an umbrella
一把吉他 yì bǎ jítā a guitar
一把椅子 yì bǎ yǐzi a chair
X. 件 (jiàn)
examples:
一件事 yí jiàn shì a thing
一件汗衫 yí jiàn hànshān a T-shirt
一件大衣 yí jiàn dàyī a coat
一件礼物 yí jiàn lǐwù a gift
一件行李 yí jiàn xíngli a piece of luggage
XI. 辆 (liàng)
The measure word 辆 (liàng) is commonly used for vehicles
with wheels (but not trains),cars, buses, bikes, scooters
一辆汽车 yí liàng qìchē a car
两辆大巴 liǎng liàng dàbā two buses
三辆自行车 sān liàng zìxíngchē three bicycles
四辆摩托车 sì liàng mótuōchē four motorcycles
XII. 家 (jiā)