List of Chinese measure words
The follow is a list of the most commonly used Chinese measure words along with usage guidelines along with a brief introduction on the topic.
Table of contents |
2 Nominal Classifiers 3 Verbal Classifiers 4 Examples |
Introduction
In the
Chinese language, simple numerals cannot quantify a noun by itself; instead, the language relies on what are known as measure words or, to a lesser extent, classifiers. There are two types of such classifiers,
nominal and
verbal, with the latter being used in quantifying verbs and the amount of time which they take precedence.
English also has its share of classifiers, however, these are generally understood to be extraneous and ultimately construe the object in question to greater details. As an example, in the English phrase "a stretch of sand", the word "stretch" is needed to disambiguate whether the sand is actually one grain or an entire beach's worth. Therefore, "stretch" serves to amplify the quantity of sand, but not necessarily quantify its existence in plurality. It should be noted that the usage of measure words in Chinese is strictly mandatory, that is, they must be used so long as a quantifying numeral or a pronoun is present (the
definite article "the" does not exist in Chinese). In contrast with the English language wherein "a flock of birds" is precisely equivalent to "the birds", a plural of birds in Chinese must be rendered as "一群鸟". Likewise, "a bird" translates to "一只鸟".
Note: A few of the verbal classifiers are nominal classifers with altered meanings. For the sake of consistency, all classifiers have been listed under the first group regardless of their type. In addition, both the reused and the exclusive verbal classifiers have been listed under the second group.
Simplified Chinese | Mandarin Pinyin | Major usage |
把 | ba3 | objects that can be held (knives, keys) |
班 | ban1 | scheduled services (trains, etc.) |
包 | bao1 | packages, bundles |
本 | ben3 | bound print matter (books, etc.) |
笔 | bi3 | large quantities of money |
编 | bian4 | exclusive to verbal classifiers |
部 | bu4 | novels, movies |
册 | ce4 | volumes of books |
层 | ceng2 | stories (of buildings), layers |
场 | chang3 | public spectacles |
床 | chuang2 | blankets, sheets |
次 | ci4 | opportunities, accidents |
道 | dao4 | linear projections (light rays, etc.), orders given by an authoritative figure |
滴 | di1 | water, blood, and other such fluids |
点 | dian3 | ideas, suggestions |
顶 | ding3 | objects with protruding top (hats, etc.) |
栋 | dong4 | buildings |
都 | du3 | walls and encompassing fixtures |
段 | duan4 | adjoining lengths of cables, roadways, etc. |
对 | dui4 | couples |
顿 | dun4 | meals |
朵 | duo3 | flowers, clouds |
份 | fen4 | portions |
封 | feng1 | letters, mail |
幅 | fu2 | works of art (paintings, etc.) |
服 | fu4 | medical entities (usually used for doses of Chinese medicine) |
副 | fu4 | objects which come in pairs (gloves, etc.) |
个 | ge0 (neutral or sometimes fourth) | people -- usage of this classifier in conjunction with any noun is generally accepted if the person does not know of the proper classifier. |
根 | gen1 | thin, slender objects (needles, pillars, etc.) |
行 | hang2 | objects which form lines (words, etc.) |
回 | hui2 | exclusive to verbal classifiers |
户 | hu4 | households |
伙 | huo3 | generally derogatory classifier for bands of people such as gangs or hoodlums |
家 | jia1 | gathering of people (families, companies, etc.) |
架 | jia4 | airplanes, pianos |
间 | jian1 | rooms |
件 | jian4 | matters, clothing, etc. |
节 | jie2 | sections of items (bamboo, etc.) |
届 | jie4 | regularly scheduled sessions or meetings |
句 | ju4 | lines, sentences, etc. |
棵 | ke1 | trees and other such flora |
颗 | ke1 | small objects (hearts, pearls, teeth, etc.) and also objects appearing to be small (distant stars and planets) |
口 | kou3 | people in villages |
块 | kuai4 | objects which may be divided into pieces (land, stones, etc.) |
类 | lei4 | objects of the same type or nature |
粒 | li4 | grains |
辆 | liang4 | automobiles, bicycles, etc. |
列 | lie4 | trains |
门 | men2 | objects pertaining to academics (courses, majors, etc.) |
面 | mian4 | flat and smooth objects (mirrors, flags, etc.) |
名 | ming2 | high-ranking persons (doctors, lawyers, politicians, royalty, etc.) |
排 | pai2 | objects grouped in rows (chairs, etc) |
盘 | pan2 | flat objects (video cassettes, etc.) |
批 | pi1 | people, goods, etc. |
匹 | pi2 | horses and other such equine animals |
篇 | pian1 | papers, articles, etc. |
片 | pian4 | flat objects, slices, etc. |
其 | qi1 | magazines |
群 | qun2 | groups or herds |
声 | sheng1 | exclusive to verbal classifiers |
首 | shou3 | songs, poems, music, etc. |
束 | shu4 | bunches |
双 | shuang1 | objects which come in pairs |
艘 | sou1 | ships |
所 | suo3 | buildings |
台 | tai2 | heavy objects (TV's, computers, etc.) and performances (theater, etc.) |
堂 | tang2 | periods of classes |
趟 | tang4 | scheduled transportation services |
套 | tao4 | sets of objects (books, magazines, collectibles, etc.) |
条 | tiao4 | long and narrow objects (fish, pants, etc.) |
头 | tou2 | certain animals (pigs, cows, etc.) |
团 | tuan2 | rotund and wound objects (balls of yarn, etc.) |
位 | wei4 | polite classifier for people |
下 | xia4 | exclusive to verbal classifiers |
项 | xiang4 | projects |
样 | yang4 | general items of differing attributes |
盏 | zhang3 | light fixtures (usually lamps) |
张 | zhang1 | flat objects (paper, tables, etc.) |
阵 | zhen4 | events with short durations (lightning storms, gusts of wind) |
支 | zhi1 | stick-like objects (pens, chopsticks, etc.) |
只 | zhi1 | one of a pair, animals (birds, cats, etc.) |
枝 | zhi1 | alternate form of 支, can be used for rifles and roses. |
种 | zhong3 | types or kinds of objects |
坐 | zuo4 | large structures or mountains |
Verbal Classifiers
遍 | bian4 | the number of times an action has been completed |
场 | chang3 | a length of an event taking place within another event |
次 | ci4 | times (unlike 遍 in that 次 refers to the number of times regardless of whether or not it was completed) |
顿 | dun4 | actions without repeat |
回 | hui2 | occurrences (used in colloquialism) |
声 | sheng1 | cries, shouts, etc. |
趟 | tang4 | trips, visitations, etc. |
下 | xia4 | brief and often sudden actions |