Learning Targets:

• I can identify the different measure

words used in Mandarin sentences.
• I can use the different measure words in
formulating Mandarin sentences.
 Measure Words
in
MANDARI
个 ge
一个人  (yī ge rén) “a person”
person, thing

五个小孩  (wǔ ge xiǎohái) “five children”

The character actually contains the symbol for person, but this measure word is used
not only for people, but any other thing that doesn’t have a more appropriate measure
word (or it does but we cannot remember it).
一个东西  (yī ge dōngxī) “a thing”
举个例子  (jǔ ge lìzi) “give an example”
解决个问题  (jiějué ge wèntí) “resolve a problem”
 只 zhī animal
一只鸟  (yī zhī niǎo) “a bird”
一只狗  (yī zhǐ gǒu) “a dog”
一只象  (yī zhǐ xiàng) “an elephant”
Strangely enough, it’s also used for arms, hands, legs, and
feet – body parts that come in pairs.
Two hands ( 两只手 – liǎng zhī shǒu)
 条 long (and winding)
tiáo
It is often connected with long, narrow, or skinny objects –
fish, roads, pants, rivers, and so on.
Ten fish ( 十条鱼 – shí tiáo yú)
This river ( 这条河 – zhè tiáo hé)
Two pairs of pants ( 两条裤子 – liǎng tiáo kù zi)
A snake ( 一条蛇 - yī tiáo shé)
双 shuāng
pair of identical objects
一双眼睛
(yī shuāng yǎnjīng)
“pair of eyes”
一双鞋子
(yī shuāng xiézi)
“pair of shoes”
 辆 liàng
Road and Vehicle
This measure word is used for vehicles with wheels,
but not trains. You can use it to talk about cars,
bikes, and the like, though.
一辆汽车  (yī liàng qìchē) “a car”
一辆摩托车  (yī liàng mótuō chē) “a
motorcycle”
 张 zhāng
Flat
It’s pretty easy remembering how to use this
measure word, as it is attached to flat objects –
tables, paper,
一张票  tickets, etc. piào) “a ticket”
(yī zhāng
一张桌子 (yī zhāng zhuōzi) “a table”
二十四张照片  (èrshísì zhāng zhàopiàn)
“twenty-four photographs”