Measure Words: A Short List

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量词表

Youxuan Wang

2012-01-08


Introduction
The English nouns are distinguished between countables and uncountables. The countable nouns are in turn distinguished between singular noun and plural nouns., e.g.: man, men. To quantify the referent of an English countable noun, we simply put a number before the countable noun, e.g.: one man, two men, etc.. To quantify the referent of an English uncountable noun, we will need to put a measure word between the number and the noun, e.g.: one cup of water, two cups of water, etc.. The measure word is countable, and it can appear after a number.

By contrast, the Chinese language does not seem to distinguish between countable and uncountable nouns. It seems as if all nouns are uncountable. To quantify the referent of a Chinese noun, we need to insert a measure word between a number and the noun, thus: 一杯水，两杯水；一个人，两个人；一条路，两条路, etc. Without a measure word, the number of a Chinese noun cannot be expressed.

The implication of this difference between English and Chinese is that, each time a second-language learner learns a Chinese noun, he/she should take a step further and lean the measure word that collocates with the noun. For instance, the first time when we come across the word '伞' （sǎn, umbrella）,  we should ask how to say "one/two/three umbrellas" in Chinese. Thus, we go on to learn to say "一把/ 两把/ 三把 伞". 

The following is a very short list of the most frequently used measure words, but it's long enough for you  at the moment. 

First, learn the meaning of the Chinese nouns (highlighted in red) on the right column if any of them is new. Then, start counting the things or living beings by using the measure words (highlighted in blue) on the left. Repeat this exercise regularly over a number of weeks; and each time you do this, don't leave anything untouched until you really believe you have internalised the collocations.

A List of most commonly used measure words

Quantifier	Pinyin	Original Meaning & Connotation	Nouns
把	bǎ	a handle	伞、菜刀、钥匙、钳子
帮	bāng	(derogatory in tone) a group tied together by some common values	坏人、恐怖分子
杯	bēi	a cup/glass/mug	水、咖啡、奶茶、酒
本	běn	a pile of paper bound together	书、杂志、字典
部	bù	a section of an integral whole; part of a system	电影、汽车、小说、机器、照相机
场	chǎng	an open field; an activity that requires such an open field	球赛、电影、戏
座	zuò	a large stationary natural object or construction	山、桥
串	chuàn	a string, a bunch stringed together	香蕉、钥匙、珍珠、铜钱
打	dá	a dozen	饮料、鸡蛋
栋	dòng	a beam that supports a roof	建筑物、房子
对	duì	two individuals of opposite sexes	情侣、夫妻
朵	duǒ	a flower-like or cloud-like object	花、白云、彩霞
封	fēng	an object that needs to be sealed	信
份	fèn	a portion, a part, a bit; a collection of parts/bits	报纸、礼物、心意
幅	fú	the widths of a piece of cloth	画像、风景画、照片、书法作品
副	fù	a suit made up of two components	眼镜、袜子、手套
个	gè	an item	人、东西、鸡蛋、苹果、信封
罐	guàn	a tin, a can	汽水、可乐、啤酒
盒	hé	a small box; a casket	磁带、饭、午餐、巧克力
壶	hú	a kettle	茶、水、酒
家	jiā	a house-hold	医院、商店、邮局、餐馆
间	jiān	a room in a house	卧室、店铺、办公室、客厅
件	jiàn	an item	衣服、事情、行李
块	kuài	a chunk	饼干、土地、冰片、
颗	kē	a round or grain-shaped tiny object	星星、钻石、炸弹
棵	kē	a tree-like object	树、禾苗
口	kǒu	individual who needs to be fed	人 (as an individual in a household.)
粒	lì	a grain-like object	沙子、种子、米、子弹
辆	liàng	a vehicle-like machine	汽车、自行车、公交车
列	liè	a train of object	火车
架	jià	framework	飞机、桥
枚	méi	a tiny object	硬币、信封、邮票
片	piàn	a flat  and thin object	面包、树林、云彩、空地、药
瓶	píng	a bottle	香水、啤酒
群	qún	group/flock  (of living beings)	人、羊、牛
双 (雙)	shuāng	a pair	鞋子、袜子、筷子
所	suǒ	a place, an institution	学校、大学、幼儿园
台	tái	a stand, support, or stage	电脑、电视、戏
条	tiáo	a long and/or wiggly thing	裤子、毛巾、绳子、河、路、街、 蛇、虫、鱼、街、路、道、河、捷径
通	tōng	an act of communication; a correspondence.	电话、信、电子邮件、电报、电传
艘	sōu	（generic term）a  boat	船、渔船、轮船、帆船、宇宙飞船
位	wèi	a seat	教授、先生、老人、朋友
碗	wǎn	a bowl	饭、面条、汤
排	pái	a line, a row	座位、房子、人
羽	yǔ	feather	鸽子
张	zhāng	an object that can be unfolded	纸、桌子、椅子、凳子
只 （隻）	zhī	an animal (enough to hold by one hand)	鸟、鸡、鸭、鹅、猫、狗
支	zhi	a bamboo-like stick	铅笔、枪、毛笔、钢笔
盅	zhōng	a cup	酒
根	gēn	a root	绳子、针、线、毛、头发、棍子