This easytouse dictionary introduces 217 frequently used chinese measure words. How to write mandarin measure words in hanyu pinyin. Dec 17, 2015 many people have trouble understanding which measure word they should use in different situations. One of the distinguishing features of the chinese language is the importance and variety of measure words. If you dont know what a measure word is its a word that is used in chinese to specify a certain quantity of a given noun. This is a complete list of mandarin chinese classifiers, otherwise known as measure words. This table provides the complete list of chinese measure words used in modern chinese.
Ge is a generic and the most frequently used measure word. Diningrelated chinese measurement words vivid chinese. The question word doesnt need a measure word, where as. Chinese lesson pdf beginner i have a beautiful picture. I think of the word pair as a measure word in english for things with two parts to them. Hello, this page provides an online access list of hsk and 4, which consists of 1200 words. There are two types of such measure words, nominal and verbal, with the latter being used in quantifying verbs and the amount of time which they take precedence. It is true that measure words can be found in english as well.
Passing hsk 3 signifies that you can communicate in. Not really with adequate practice, students will learn what measure words to use for a particular context. There are least a hundred measure words in common use in modem putonghua. Here are a few sentences showing counting words in action. Goodreads members who liked measuring the world also liked. For instance, large flat objects are counted with zhang. A measure word liangci, also known as a classifier or a count word, is used along with numerals to define the quantity of a given object or objects, or with thisthat to identify continue reading. Unlike english and most european languages, chinese does not distinguish between singular and plural, so nouns are simply abstract in number, with context determining whether something is singular or plural. A lot of measure words can be repeated to indicate all or every so instead of saying mei3 ge4 ren2, one could say ge4 ge5 ren2 to indicate that you mean.
Click the pinyin to hear the pronunciation of the measure word. Also instead of duoshao, you have to use ji measure word for how many. A measure word liangci, also known as a classifier or a count word, is used along with numerals to define the quantity of a given object or objects, or with thisthat to identify specific objects. Mandarin pinyin cantonese jyutping cantonese yale minnan meaning and principal uses ba baa2. Picture dictionary of chinese measure words chinese books. Unlike english and most european languages, chinese does not distinguish between singular and plural, so nouns are. Learn the first 100, 250, or 500 most important words and start applying them with practical.
Did you know that by the end of primary 2, students encounter over 40 measure words in their chinese textbooks and activity books. Are there any other tips on the use of measure words. Chinese mandarinlesson 5 wikibooks, open books for an. Books similar to measuring the world measuring the world. Teachers of chinese are advised to introduce appropriate numbers of measure words in levelappropriate discourse contexts for optimal instruction and acquisition. Na means that and suo is the measure word for colleges.
You can see that the measure word stays the same every time, and you can simply put the different pieces together, with the measure word when necessary. Each word is listed along with its frequent meanings and modes of employment as well as english translations, and usage examples and illustrations. We usually dont think about all the ways there are to wrap, bind, roll, tuck, stuff and pack things. Chinese measurement words are much more than in english language. The book is very appropriate for beginning or intermediate students and even advanced students can learn new words from it.
Each measure word also has a short list of nouns that go with the measure word. Also, some quantifiable nouns or actions are used without measure words i. The book is very appropriate for beginning or intermediate students and even advanced students can learn new words. Different measure words are used for different kinds of objects. When a noun is preceded by a number, a demonstrative such as this or that, or certain quantifiers such as every, a classifier must normally be inserted before the noun. In the tables, the first and second columns contain the chinese character representing the classifier, in traditional and simplified versions when they differ. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Learn measure words by thinking in chinese mandarin corner. There are many more measure words in chinese beyond this list, but these 15 mustknow measure words are a great start for beginner mandarin chinese learners. Briefly explained, chinese uses what is known as classifiers or measure words, these are the equivalent of cup, bottle or bags in the english sentences a cup of tea, a bottle of milk and a bag of apples.
This is one of the best ways to start learning chinese. The young austrian writer daniel kehlmann conjures a brilliant and gently comic novel from. I also dont understand the origin but without the measure words the degeneracy. For convenience, you can use the word search through the search function, you can enter hieroglyphs as. Choose from 500 different sets of npcr lesson 8 flashcards on quizlet. Find books like measuring the world from the worlds largest community of readers. While measure words can seem a bit daunting at first, youll get the hang of them in no time. One of the basic uses of classifiers is in phrases in which a noun is qualified by a numeral. Aug 31, 2015 placing the measure word after the noun can also indicate an indefinite amount so rather than having to say ji3 ben3 shu1 or some books, we can say shu1 ben3 which means the many books or the indefinite number of books or just the books. There are other situation where you might not need a measure word, for example my cat is no measure word, and a few nouns dont need a measure word, such as. I have three books which can be used for teaching foreigners to learn chinese. The modern chinese varieties make frequent use of what are called classifiers or measure words.
Each word is listed along with its frequent meanings and modes of employment as well as english translations, and usage. In other words, such books are devoid of any creativity and value. What are they and how to use them briefly explained, chinese uses what is known as classifiers or measure words, these are the equivalent of cup, bottle or bags in the english sentences a. Here is a list of basic chinese word and pronunciation. We also have measure words in english, such as the words in the example below. Diningrelated chinese measurement words traditional chinese version. Food is a huge part of chinese culture, so it is no surprise that there is a colorful assortment of specifiers for foods, meals and the dishes in which they are served. Picture dictionary of chinese measure words chinese.
The generic measure word can be used when referring to items like apples, bread, and light bulbs even when there are other, more appropriate measure words for these objects. I also dont understand the origin but without the measure words the degeneracy would make understanding the language even harder. Each measure word comes between the number of objects and the name of the object. Learn npcr lesson 8 with free interactive flashcards. Although a number of books and websites on measure words are available to students of chinese, they tend to emphasize grammatical explanation so much that pedagogical effectiveness seems rather. But for the most part, they are needed only to specify a collection of things, such as a flock of sheep, or an uncountable. In this infographic, we introduce 17 measurement words that are related to food and. Jan 27, 2020 there are three sections of this third level.
Chinese measure words the chinese language uses measure words to count nouns. Aug 29, 2018 diningrelated chinese measurement words. For convenience, you can use the word search through the search function, you can enter hieroglyphs as well as translation words or. In chinese, most specified or numbered nouns must be preceded by measure words, also known as classifiers, according to the type of object. Also, only tag a definition with a measure word if both the traditional and simplified forms of the.
Given that there is at least one phone application specifically devoted to measure words and some electronic dictionaries list the measure. In this hsk 3 vocabulary list, you must have mastered 600 commonly used words and related grammar patterns. Like the word pair, chinese measure words are placed between the noun and the preceding number. The generic measure word can be used when referring to items like apples. Indices of measure words and chinese and english nouns make it easy find accurate measure words for verbs and nouns, which are one of the most challenges that chinese language learners encounter.
39 1365 378 540 760 1066 323 189 1144 708 310 267 751 1443 1187 350 920 411 1445 1263 1071 1479 1464 648 895 363 1156 38 1311 13 1452 318 1413 1099 84