Difference between revisions of "Measure word "ge""

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* 他 是 <em>个</em> 好人 。<span class="trans">You are a good person.</span>
 
* 他 是 <em>个</em> 好人 。<span class="trans">You are a good person.</span>
 
* 那 不 是 <em>个</em> 苹果 。<span class="trans">That is not an apple.</span>
 
* 那 不 是 <em>个</em> 苹果 。<span class="trans">That is not an apple.</span>
* 我 是 <em>个</em> 美国 人 。<span class="trans">I am an American.</span>
+
* 我 是 <em>个</em> 白痴 。<span class="trans">I am an idiot.</span>
  
 
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Revision as of 08:09, 28 January 2013

The measure word 个 (ge) is the most common 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 is the only correct measure word.

General structure

The general structure for 个 (and measure words in general) is:

Number + 个 + Noun

You can specify the quantity of any noun with this structure. Note that any time you want to state how many of a noun in Chinese, you probably need a measure word. First get used to doing it with 个.

Examples

  • one person
  • two people
  • 苹果three apples
  • 三明治one sandwich
  • 八十 诗人eighty poets

Omitting the number

If the number is one (1), you can omit it and use 个 by itself. This is equivalent to a or an in English, for example in "a person" or "an idiot."

Some examples of that:

  • 他 是 好人 。You are a good person.
  • 那 不 是 苹果 。That is not an apple.
  • 我 是 白痴 。I am an idiot.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites