Measure word "ge"

Revision as of 02:37, 17 August 2015 by WikiSysop (talk | contribs) (Text replacement - "nǚ péngyou" to "nǚpéngyou")

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

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 (gè).

Examples

  • qiúone ball
  • (If you're wondering why it's 两 and not 二,see our article on "Er" and "liang")Liǎng réntwo people
  • 苹果 Sān píngguǒthree apples
  • 三明治 sānmíngzhìfour sandwiches
  • 星期 xīngqīfive weeks
  • 杯子 Liù bēizisix cups/glasses
  • 女朋友 nǚpéngyouseven girlfriends
  • 八 十 小孩 Bāshí xiǎoháieighty children
  • 一 百 美 女 Yībǎi měinǚone hundred beautiful girls
  • 男人, 七 傻, 八 Shí nánrén, qī shǎ, bā huàiten 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."

Examples

  • 他 是 好人 。Tā shì hǎorén.He is a good person.
  • 那 不 是 苹果 。Nà bùshì píngguǒ.That is not an apple.
  • 他 是 法国 人 。Tā shì Fǎguó rén.He is a French person.
  • 这 是 手机。Zhè shì shǒujī.This is a cell phone.
  • 我 爸爸 是 老板。Wǒ bàba shì lǎobǎn.My dad is a boss.
  • 你 是 好 老师 。Nǐ shì hǎo lǎoshī.You are a good teacher.
  • 我 有 儿子 。Wǒ yǒu érzi.I have a son.
  • 给 我 面包 。Gěi wǒ miànbāo.Give me a bun.
  • 我 想 吃 橙子 。Wǒ xiǎng chī chéngzi.I'd like to eat an orange.
  • 老师 , 我 有 问题 。Lǎoshī, wǒ yǒu wèntí.Teacher, I have a question.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites