More measure words: 件, 条, 双, 辆, 位, 把, 块, 张, 种, 些
一件衬衫, 一条裤子, 一双鞋, 两辆车, 一位老师: measure words grouped by shape and kind.
Part of the free A2 Chinese course (about HSK 3). Examples are in Simplified characters with pinyin; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
Grouped by shape
In Measure words: 个, 本, 杯, 张, 口, 只 you met 个, 本, 杯, 张, 口 and 只. Most other measure words group nouns by shape or kind, so learning the picture behind each one helps.
| Measure word | Used for | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 件 (jiàn) | tops and coats; matters, things to do | 一件衬衫 (yí jiàn chènshān), 一件事 (yí jiàn shì) |
| 条 (tiáo) | long, bendy things | 一条裤子 (yì tiáo kùzi), 一条河 (yì tiáo hé), 一条鱼 (yì tiáo yú), 一条路 (yì tiáo lù) |
| 双 (shuāng) | pairs | 一双鞋 (yì shuāng xié), 一双筷子 (yì shuāng kuàizi) |
| 辆 (liàng) | vehicles on wheels | 一辆车 (yí liàng chē), 一辆自行车 (yí liàng zìxíngchē) |
| 位 (wèi) | people, politely | 一位老师 (yí wèi lǎoshī), 两位客人 (liǎng wèi kèrén) |
| 把 (bǎ) | things you hold by a handle | 一把伞 (yì bǎ sǎn), 一把椅子 (yì bǎ yǐzi), 一把钥匙 (yì bǎ yàoshi) |
| 块 (kuài) | pieces and chunks; money | 一块蛋糕 (yí kuài dàngāo), 五块钱 (wǔ kuài qián) |
| 张 (zhāng) | flat things | 一张地图 (yì zhāng dìtú), 一张床 (yì zhāng chuáng) |
| 种 (zhǒng) | kinds, sorts | 一种水果 (yì zhǒng shuǐguǒ) |
| 些 (xiē) | some, several (no exact number) | 一些人 (yìxiē rén), 这些书 (zhèxiē shū) |
- 我买了一件衬衫和一条裤子。(Wǒ mǎi le yí jiàn chènshān hé yì tiáo kùzi.)I bought a shirt and a pair of trousers.
- 楼下有两辆自行车。(Lóuxià yǒu liǎng liàng zìxíngchē.)There are two bikes downstairs.
- 这把伞是谁的？(Zhè bǎ sǎn shì shéi de?)Whose umbrella is this?
- 我想吃一块蛋糕。(Wǒ xiǎng chī yí kuài dàngāo.)I'd like a piece of cake.
- 这种水果叫什么？(Zhè zhǒng shuǐguǒ jiào shénme?)What's this kind of fruit called?
- 我有一件事想问你。(Wǒ yǒu yí jiàn shì xiǎng wèn nǐ.)There's something I'd like to ask you.
A few things to know
- Trousers are 条, tops are 件. In Chinese a pair of trousers is one long thing, not a pair: 一条裤子.
- 双 or 只: 一双鞋 is a pair of shoes; 一只鞋 is one shoe.
- 位 is polite, for other people: 那位先生 (that gentleman). In a restaurant you'll hear 您几位？(nín jǐ wèi?) = How many are you? Don't use 位 for yourself.
- 块 is also the everyday word for yuan: 二十块钱 = twenty yuan.
- 些 has no number except 一: 一些, 这些, 那些, 哪些. It replaces the measure word: 这些书, not
这些本书. - 把 as a measure word is the same character as the 把 of 把: doing something to a definite thing, with a different job.
Common mistakes
一件裤子→ 一条裤子. Trousers are long and bendy: 条.两个鞋for "two pairs of shoes" → 两双鞋.三些苹果→ 三个苹果, or 一些苹果. 些 only goes with 一, 这, 那 and 哪.这些本书→ 这些书. 些 replaces the measure word.我是一位老师。→ 我是老师, or 我是一个老师. 位 shows respect, so it's for other people.
Practice
- 我想买两_____裤子。(Wǒ xiǎng mǎi liǎng ___ kùzi.)Options: 条 (tiáo) · 件 (jiàn) · 双 (shuāng)
Show the answer
条 (tiáo) — Trousers are counted with 条, as one long thing.
- 这_____衬衫多少钱？(Zhè ___ chènshān duōshao qián?)Options: 件 (jiàn) · 条 (tiáo) · 张 (zhāng)
Show the answer
件 (jiàn) — Tops and coats: 件.
- 我要买两_____运动鞋。(Wǒ yào mǎi liǎng ___ yùndòngxié.)Options: 双 (shuāng) · 只 (zhī) · 件 (jiàn)
Show the answer
双 (shuāng) — A pair: 双. 两只运动鞋 would be just two shoes.
- 路边停着三_____车。(Lùbiān tíng zhe sān ___ chē.)
Show the answer
辆 — Vehicles on wheels: 辆.
In the app, this lesson is taught one idea at a time with the examples read aloud, followed by questions you can answer in characters or pinyin. It then comes back for review on later days, until you've answered it correctly on three separate days.