Difference between revisions of "Measure word "ge""
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* 六 <em>个</em> 月 <span class="pinyin">liù <em>gè</em> yuè </span><span class="trans">six months</span> | * 六 <em>个</em> 月 <span class="pinyin">liù <em>gè</em> yuè </span><span class="trans">six months</span> | ||
* 两 <em>个</em> 老婆<span class="pinyin">liǎng <em>gè</em> lǎopo </span><span class="trans">two wives</span> | * 两 <em>个</em> 老婆<span class="pinyin">liǎng <em>gè</em> lǎopo </span><span class="trans">two wives</span> | ||
− | * 十 <em>个</em> 男人, 七 <em>个</em> 傻, 八 <em>个</em> 坏。<span class="expl pdf- | + | * 十 <em>个</em> 男人, 七 <em>个</em> 傻, 八 <em>个</em> 坏。<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">A line from a song</span><span class="pinyin">Shí <em>gè</em> nánrén, qī <em>gè</em> shǎ, bā <em>gè</em> huài.</span><span class="trans">Ten men: seven are fools, and eight are bad.</span> |
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Revision as of 01:54, 14 June 2017
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Keywords
个 (gè) is the most commonly used measure word. It can be used in a pinch for any noun if you can't think of a more precise measure word. (Although you might not sound quite as smart, you'll still get your point across). Also, for many nouns, 个 (gè) is the only correct measure word.
Contents
General Structure
Structure
The general structure for 个 (gè) and measure words in general is:
Number + 个 + Noun
Any time you want to state how many of a noun in Chinese, you probably need a measure word. First get used to how they are used with 个 (gè).
Examples
- 一 个 人 one person
- 四 个 朋友 four friends
- 三 个 苹果 手机 three iPhones
- 五 个 星期 five weeks
- 六 个 月 six months
- 两 个 老婆two wives
- 十 个 男人, 七 个 傻, 八 个 坏。A line from a songTen men: seven are fools, and eight are bad.
Omitting the Number
Structure
Verb + 个 + Noun
If the number is one (1), you can omit it and use 个 (gè) by itself. This is similar to "a" or "an" in English, for example in "a person" or "an idiot." (The tone on 个 (gè) is normally somewhat de-emphasized in this usage, but still written as fourth tone. You don't need to stress about it, though.)
Examples
- 他 是 个 老外。He is a foreigner.
- 我 有 个 儿子。I have a son.
- 她 是 个 好 老师。She is a good teacher.
- 你 想 吃 个 包子 吗?Would you like to eat a stuffed steamed bun?
- 老师 , 我 有 个 问题。Teacher, I have a question.
See also
- Counting money
- Measure words in quantity questions
- Measure words for counting
- Measure words to differentiate
Sources and further reading
Books
- Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 21-2) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 45-6) →buy
- Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (p. 21) →buy
Websites
- Chinese classifier (Wikipedia)