Difference between revisions of "Measure word "ge""

m (Text replacement - "<span class="expl">(" to "<span class="expl">")
m (Text replacement - ")</span><span class="pinyin">" to "</span><span class="pinyin">")
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* 五 <em>个</em> 星期 <span class="pinyin">wǔ <em>gè</em> xīngqī</span><span class="trans">five weeks</span>
 
* 五 <em>个</em> 星期 <span class="pinyin">wǔ <em>gè</em> xīngqī</span><span class="trans">five weeks</span>
 
* 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="expl">If you're wondering why it's 两 and not 二,see our article on [["Er" and "liang"|"er" and "liang"]])</span><span class="pinyin">liǎng <em>gè</em>  lǎopó </span><span class="trans">two wives</span>
+
* 两 <em>个</em> 老婆 <span class="expl">If you're wondering why it's 两 and not 二,see our article on [["Er" and "liang"|"er" and "liang"]]</span><span class="pinyin">liǎng <em>gè</em>  lǎopó </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="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>
 
* 十 <em>个</em> 男人, 七 <em>个</em> 傻, 八 <em>个</em> 坏。<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>
  

Revision as of 14:25, 17 February 2016

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.

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 expressing it with 个 (gè).

Examples

  • rénone person
  • 朋友 péngyoufour friends
  • 苹果 手机 sān Píngguǒ shǒujīthree iPhones
  • 星期 xīngqīfive weeks
  • liù yuè six months
  • 老婆 If you're wondering why it's 两 and not 二,see our article on "er" and "liang"liǎng lǎopó two wives
  • 男人, 七 傻, 八 坏。shí nánrén, qī shǎ, bā huài.ten 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 equivalent to a or an in English, for example in "a person" or "an idiot." (The tone on 个 (gè) is normally neutral for this usage, but you don't need to stress about it.)

Examples

  • 他 是 老外。Tā shì ge lǎowài.He is a foreigner.
  • 我 有 儿子。Wǒ yǒu ge érzi.I have a son.
  • 她 是 好 老师。Tā shì ge hǎo lǎoshī.She is a good teacher.
  • 你 想 吃 包子 吗?Nǐ xiǎng chī ge bāozi ma?Would you like to eat a stuffed steamed bun?
  • 老师 , 我 有 问题。Lǎoshī, wǒ yǒu ge wèntí.Teacher, I have a question.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites