Using measure words with nouns in Chinese
Measure words in Chinese (called 量词 liàng cí or classifiers) are words used to quantify nouns and are essential in Chinese grammar. The correct structure to use a measure word is:
Number + Measure Word + Noun
For example, one person is 一个人 (yī gè rén), where 一 is the number one, 个 is the general measure word, and 人 means person. For two people, it becomes 两个人 (liǎng gè rén), using 两 instead of 二 for the number two in counting.
Measure words categorize nouns based on their type, shape, or other characteristics. For example:
- 个 (gè) is a general measure word used for many objects.
- 位 (wèi) is used for people politely.
- 条 (tiáo) is used for long, narrow items like fish, snakes, or scarves.
- 把 (bǎ) is used for things that can be held or grasped, like chairs or flowers.
- 本 (běn) is used for bound items such as books.
Measure words are used not only after numbers but also with demonstratives (this, that), question words (which, how many), and various units of things. Some nouns act as their own measure words for quantity expressions like 天 (days) or 岁 (years).
Using the correct measure word is important because some nouns can take different measure words depending on context, and it helps clarify meaning in counting or referring to objects in Chinese.