Introduction
Hi there,
i
A student of mine once tried to joke with his Chinese friend by saying, “wǒ yǒu sì tài tài (我有四太太).” He’d meant to say “I have four wives,” but since he omitted the crucial measure word “ge (个)” in the sentence, nobody could understand what he was trying to say and the joke completely fell flat. The correct way of saying “four wives” is “sì ɡe tài tài (四个太太).” The concept of “measure words” or “classifiers” shouldn’t be entirely foreign to you. In English, you have something similar: “a sheet of paper,” “a bar of soap,” “a set of furniture,” “a school of fish,” etc. Here, sheet, bar, set, and school can be considered measure words or classifiers. What’s different between English and Chinese is not so much the existence of measure words or classifiers, but rather the extent to which measure words are used. In Chinese, we use measure words all the time. Here’s a summary when measure words have to be used. 1. When a quantity is involved – you must insert a measure word in between the NUMBER of the object and the NAME of the object. 2. When you want to specify a noun. In other words, if you use “zhè - 这 (這) - this,” “nà - 那 - that” and “měi - 每 - every.” 3. When the question words “nǎ - 哪 - which” and “jǐ - 几 (幾) - how many” are used. Measure words are also referred to as “classifiers” because some measure words actually have the additional function of classifying nouns along some physical dimensions, such as size, shape and so on. Different measure words are used for different kinds of objects. • • •
flat objects such as tables or paper are counted with the measure word “zhāng (张)” long, thin objects such as ropes use “tiáo (条)” objects with volume such as books or magazines use “běn (本)”
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“Measure word” or “classifiers” might be one of the most foreign concepts for English speakers.
Chinese Measure Words
I have been teaching Chinese for many years both at college level and as a private tutor.
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I’m Yangyang, the founder of YoyoChinese.com.
Don’t be overwhelmed yet! For now, just remember this: in Chinese, you must insert a measure word in between the number of the object and the name of the object.
ii
The most widely used and the most generic measure word is “ɡe (个/個).” You can generally get away with using “ɡe (个/個)” when you’re not sure what measure word to use for a particular noun, so until you learn new specific measure words or classifiers, you should use “ɡe (个/個)” to save yourself some trouble.
Measure words are so important. If you use the generic measure word “ge” for everything, it’s okay. It just shows that you’re not a native speaker, but Chinese people will still understand you. However, if you skip measure words, Chinese people will NOT understand you at all. So it’s better to use a less-than-perfect measure word than not to use one at all. From now on, I suggest you seriously consider getting into the habit of adding “ge” to your daily English conversations, e.g. saying four “ge” apples, three “ge” people, and 10 “ge” hamburgers. This ebook is a collection of common measure words. If you want to sound like a native speaker, memorize them. If not, it’s okay to simply use “ge” to replace all the following measure words and you will do just fine. I hope you will have a thorough understanding of Chinese measure words after reading this ebook. I know they are a new concept to you but I’m sure you can master them with all the examples provided and lots of practice! I sincerely hope you enjoy this ebook and learn a lot from it. Thank you and happy studies! Yangyang Cheng YoyoChinese.com
Chinese Measure Words
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You can also think of it this way: maybe a good English word that can be used to describe measure words is “unit.” For example, “yí ɡe hàn bǎo bāo (一个汉堡包)” is like saying “one unit of hamburger.” “sān ɡe rén (三个人)” is like saying “three units of people.”
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Number + Measure Word + Object
bāo 包
bēi 杯
hé 盒
kuài 块 /塊
pínɡ 瓶
qún 群
shuānɡ 双 /雙
tào 套
Chinese Measure Words
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The following are the most common Chinese measure words (classifiers) used in a similar way in English.
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used for packs or packets
Chinese Measure Words
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one pack of cigarettes
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bāo 包
yì bāo yān 一包 烟 Examples English
Pinyin
a pack of instant noodles
yì bāo fāng biàn miàn
a pack of candy
yì bāo táng guǒ
Chinese 一 包方 便 面 一 包方 便 麵 一 包糖 果
bēi 杯
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used for cups or glasses of drinks
Chinese Measure Words
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one cup of coffee
yì bēi kā fēi 一杯咖啡 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
a cup of tea
yì bēi chá
一 杯茶
a glass of orange juice
yì bēi chéng zhī
一 杯橙 汁
hé 盒
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used for boxes
Chinese Measure Words
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a box of chocolate
yì hé qiǎo kè lì 一 盒巧克力 Example English
Pinyin
a box of cookies
yì hé bǐng gān
Chinese 一 盒饼 干 一 盒餅 乾
used for pieces
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kuài 块(塊)
Chinese Measure Words
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one piece of cake
yí kuài dàn ɡāo 一 块蛋糕 一 塊蛋糕 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
a piece of soap
yí kuài féi zào
一 块肥 皂 一 塊肥 皂
a piece of land
yí kuài lù dì
一 块陆 地 一 塊陆 地
used for bottles
Chinese Measure Words
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three bottles of beer
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pínɡ 瓶
san pínɡ pí jiǔ 三 瓶啤酒 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
a bottle of water
yì pínɡ shuǐ
一 瓶水
a bottle of coke
yì pínɡ kě lè
一 瓶可 乐 一 瓶可 樂
qún 群
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used for crowd, group, herd, flock, pack of animals
Chinese Measure Words
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a herd of sheep
yì qún yánɡ 一群 羊 Example English
Pinyin
Chinese
a crowd of people
yì qún rén
一 群人
used for pairs
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shuānɡ 双(雙)
Chinese Measure Words
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a pair of shoes
yì shuānɡ xié zi 一 双鞋子 一 雙鞋子 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
a pair of chopsticks
yì shuānɡ kuài zi
一 双筷 子 一 雙筷 子
a pair of eyes
yì shuānɡ yǎn jīng
一 双眼 睛 一 雙眼 睛
a pair of socks
yì shuānɡ wà zi
一 双袜 子 一 雙襪 子
used for sets
Chinese Measure Words
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one set of furniture
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tào 套
yí tào jiā jù 一 套家具 Example English
Pinyin
Chinese
a set of stamps
yí tào yóu piào
一 套邮 票 一 套郵 票
chuàn 串
dǐnɡ 顶/頂
fèn 份
fēnɡ 封
ɡe 个 /個
jiān 间/間
jiàn 件
kē 棵
liànɡ 辆 /輛
piān 篇
shǒu 首
tái 台
tiáo 条/ 條
wèi 位
zhānɡ 张 /張
zhī 支
zhī 只/隻
zuò 座
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běn 本
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bǎ 把
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Chinese Measure Words
The following are the most common Chinese measure words (classifiers) sometimes used or not required in English.
bǎ 把
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Used for objects with handles
Chinese Measure Words
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three knives
sān bǎ dāo 三把 刀 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
one umbrella
yì bǎ yǔ sǎn
一 把雨 伞 一 把雨 傘
one chair
yì bǎ yǐ zi
一 把椅 子
one pair of scissors
yì bǎ jiǎn dāo
一 把剪 刀
běn 本
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Used for books and magazines
Chinese Measure Words
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three books
sān běn shū 三本 书 三本 書 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
one magazine
yì běn zá zhì
一 本杂 志 一 本雜 誌
one comic book
yì běn màn huà
一 本漫 画 一 本漫 畫
Used for items joined together, i.e. by a string
Chinese Measure Words
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one bunch of grapes
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chuàn 串
yí chuàn pú táo 一串 葡萄 Example English
Pinyin
Chinese
one chain of keys
yí chuàn yào shi
一 串钥 匙 一 串鑰 匙
one skewer of lamb meat
yí chuàn yáng ròu
一 串羊 肉
Used for hats
yì dǐnɡ mào zi 一顶 帽子 一 頂 帽子
Chinese Measure Words
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one hat
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dǐnɡ 顶(頂)
fèn 份
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Used for portions, like newspapers or jobs
Chinese Measure Words
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one newspaper
yí fèn bào zhǐ 一份报纸 一份報紙 Example English
Pinyin
Chinese
one job
yí fèn gōng zuò
一 份工 作
Used for letters or mail
Chinese Measure Words
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one letter
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fēng 封
yì fēnɡ xìn 一封 信
Generic measure word that can be used with anything
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ge 个(個)
Chinese Measure Words
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one person
yí ɡe rén 一个 人 一個 人 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
one apple
yí ge píng guǒ
一 个苹 果 一 個苹 果
one idea
yí ge xiǎng fǎ
一 个想 法 一 個想 法
Used for rooms
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jiān 间(間)
Chinese Measure Words
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one bedroom
yì jiān wò shì 一间 卧室 一間 臥室 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
one living room
yì jiān kè tīng
一 间客 厅 一 間客 廳
one house
yì jiān wū zi
一 间屋 子 一 間屋 子
jiàn 件
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Typically used for articles of clothing or matters
Chinese Measure Words
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one shirt
yí jiàn chèn shān 一件 衬衫 一件 襯衫 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
one overcoat
yí jiàn dà yī
一 件大 衣
one top (upper garment)
yí jiàn shàng yī
一 件上 衣
one matter/affair
yí jiàn shì
一 件事
Used for trees
yì kē shù 一棵树 一棵樹
Chinese Measure Words
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one tree
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kē 棵
Used for wheeled vehicles
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liànɡ 辆(輛)
Chinese Measure Words
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one car
yí liànɡ chē 一辆车 一 輛車 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
one bicycle
yí liànɡ zì xíng chē
一 辆自 行 车 一 輛自 行 車
one truck
yí liànɡ kǎ chē
一 辆卡 车 一 輛卡 車
one bus
yí liànɡ bā shì
一 辆巴 士 一 輛巴 士
piān 篇
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Used for written items
Chinese Measure Words
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one article
yì piān wén zhānɡ 一 篇文章 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
one essay
yì piān lùn wén
一 篇论 文 一 篇論 文
one report
yì piān bào dào
一 篇报 道 一 篇報 導
shǒu 首
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Used for passages of verses
Chinese Measure Words
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one song
yì shǒu ɡē 一 首歌 Example English
Pinyin
Chinese
one poem
yì shǒu shī
一 首诗 一 首詩
tái 台
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Used for fairly large electrical items
Chinese Measure Words
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one computer
yì tái diàn nǎo 一 台 电脑 一 台 電腦 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
one television
yì tái diàn shì
一 台电 视 一 台電 視
one washing machine
yì tái xǐ yī jī
one treadmill
yì tái pǎo bù jī
一 台洗 衣 机 一 台洗 衣 機 一 台跑 步 机 一 台跑 步 機
Used for long and winding objects
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tiáo 条(條)
Chinese Measure Words
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one (pair of) pants
yì tiáo kù zi 一条裤子 一條褲子 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
a river
yì tiáo hé
一 条河 一 條河
a dragon
yì tiáo lóng
一 条龙 一 條龍
one necklace
yì tiáo xiàng liàn
一 条项 链 一 條項 鍊
wèi 位
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Used for people; a polite measure word to replace -ge (个/個)
Chinese Measure Words
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one guest
yí wèi kè rén 一位 客人 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
one teacher
yí wèi lǎo shī
一 位老 师 一 位老 師
Used for flat surfaces
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zhānɡ 张(張)
Chinese Measure Words
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one table
yì zhānɡ zhuō zi 一 张桌子 一 張桌子 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
one sheet of paper
yì zhānɡ zhǐ
一 张纸 一 張紙
one bed
yì zhānɡ chuáng
一 张床 一 張床
one photo
yì zhānɡ xiàng piàn
一 张相 片 一 張相 片
zhī 支
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Used for fairly long, stick-like objects
Chinese Measure Words
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one pen
yì zhī bǐ 一 支笔 一 支筆 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
one pencil
yì zhī qiān bǐ
一 支铅 笔 一 支鉛 筆
one cigarette
yì zhī xiāng yān
一 支香 烟 一 支香 煙
one rose
yì zhī méi guī
一 支玫 瑰 一 支玫 瑰
Used for animals, birds, or insects; or one of a pair
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zhī 只(隻)
Chinese Measure Words
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four cats
sì zhī māo 四 只猫 四 隻貓 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
one bird
yì zhī niǎo
一 只鸟 一 隻鳥
one hand
yì zhī shǒu
一 只手 一 隻手
one shoe
yì zhī xié zǐ
一 只鞋 子 一 隻鞋 子
zuò 座
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Used for large, relatively permanent things
Chinese Measure Words
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one bridge
yí zuò qiáo 一 座桥 一 座橋 Examples English
Pinyin
Chinese
one mountain
yí zuò shān
一 座山
Author Bio
Yangyang’s intimate understanding of the problems English-speakers face when learning Chinese makes her one of the most uniquely qualified Chinese teachers out there. She has turned years of world-class teaching experience into fun, accessible lessons available at YoyoChinese.com. Yangyang also worked as a bilingual host and reporter for the popular Chinese entertainment TV show Hello! Hollywood, reaching an audience of tens of millions in China and the U.S. Her on-camera experience enables her to bring life to language concepts, making Chinese fun and easy to learn. You can find Yangyang and Yoyo Chinese at:
Yoyo Chinese Website www.yoyochinese.com
Yoyo Chinese Blog www.yoyochinese.com/blog
Yoyo Chinese on YouTube youtube.com/sloppycheng
Yoyo Chinese on Facebook facebook.com/YoyoChinese
Yoyo Chinese on Google+ plus.google.com/+YoyoChinese
Yoyo Chinese on Linkedin linkedin.com/company/yoyo-chinese-inc
Yoyo Chinese on Twitter twitter.com/YoyoChinese
Yangyang’s Personal Website www.yangyangcheng.com
Chinese Measure Words
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Before starting Yoyo Chinese, Yangyang was an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University, teaching Chinese language and culture to MBA students. Her independently developed, innovative curriculum earned her a word-of-mouth reputation as the #1 goto Chinese teacher for Fortune 500 executives and Hollywood celebrities.
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Yangyang Cheng is the founder and on-camera host of Yoyo Chinese, an online Chinese language education company that uses videos to teach Chinese to learners from all over the world.
Learn Chinese with the right teacher through clearly-explained video lessons! FEATURES • 400+ Video Tutorials Taught by Yangyang • Clear and Easy-to-Follow Explanations • Structured Daily Study Plan
• Taught from the English-Speaker’s Perspective • Use of Authentic Dialogue Videos Shot Right on the Streets of China
courses • • • •
Beginner Conversational Intermediate Conversational Listening comprehension Grammar
• Pronunciation • Chinese Learning Q&A • LIVE Google Hangouts with Yangyang
(See Pages 33–34 for course descriptions)
Chinese Measure Words
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Yoyo Chinese
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Perfect for beginners who want to be able to carry basic conversations with Chinese people Detailed explanations on pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and culture Exact same course Yangyang uses for her private celebrity and executive clients
INTERMEDIATE CONVERSATIONAL Take your Conversational Chinese to the next level • • •
Learn through authentic Chinese dialogue with detailed explanations Introduction of higher-level vocabulary and grammar structures Advanced cultural topics covering love, relationship, customs, and Chinese society
CHINESE ON THE STREET Our “Chinese onlistening the street” comprehension series is a unique learning resource Practice your with authentic found in nodialogue other Chinese learning programs. It is a collection of Chinese interviews with real Chinese people shot directly from the streets of hear andenvironment watch is non-scripted, non• China. LearnEverything Chinese inyou’ll an authentic rehearsed and completely authentic Chinese dialogue. • Hear unrehearsed, uncanned Chinese dialogue spoken at your level that you may not have the opportunity for We understand • A complete Chinese learning experience language immersion while you study Chinese, so with this (practice listening series, we bring China +tospeaking) you!
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Chinese Measure Words
All you need to learn to become conversational in Chinese within 6 months
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BEGINNER CONVERSATIONAL
• • •
All major Chinese grammar topics covered in detail Simple and clear explanations coupled with lots of pictures and cartoons Taught from an English speaker’s perspective
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Everything you need to know about pinyin Clear explanations and vivid demonstration of difficult sounds Obtain a firm grasp of the Chinese sound system
LIVE Google Hangouts with Yangyang Extensive Lecture + Interactive Q&A • • •
Experience a live virtual classroom with your favorite Chinese teacher Longer lecture format gives you more practice time Topics include common mistakes made by English speakers and how to solve them
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A comprehensive Chinese grammar book in video form
Chinese Measure Words
grammar
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