Comparing "bian" and "ci"

Both 遍 (biàn) and 次 (cì) are commonly used measure words that tell how many times an action is done. Both are used in formal and informal contexts. The difference is that 遍 means doing an action all the way from the beginning to the end, whereas 次 refers to the total number of times an action occurs, regardless of full completion.

B1HSK4ASV4567

	遍 (biàn)	次 (cì)
Meaning	times an action has been completed from beginning to end	number of times an action occurs
Part of Speech	measure word	measure word
Formality	flexible	flexible

:Yes

To show the total number of times an action occurs use 次 (cì)

When you want to show the total number of times an action occurs, use 次 (cì). In this case you're not emphasizing full completion. In some cases (such as going somewhere), there's no "partial completion" anyway, so just use 次 (cì).

次 is definitely more common, and the one you probably learned first.

Common Phrases

• 看 过 一 次 kàn guò yī cì watched one time
• 听 过 三 次 tīng guò sān cì listened three times
• 去 过 几 次 qù guò jǐ cì went several times

Example Sentences

• 我 去 过 两 次 上海。 Wǒ qù guo liǎng cì Shànghǎi.I've been to Shanghai twice.
• 我 看过 三 次 这个 电影，但 每 次 都 没 看 完。 Wǒ kàn guo sān cì zhège diànyǐng, dàn měi cì dōu méi kàn wán.I've seen this movie three times, but I never finished it each time.
• 我 很 喜欢 红烧肉，我 已经 吃 过 很多 次 了。 Wǒ hěn xǐhuan hóngshāoròu, wǒ yǐjīng chī guo hěn duō cì le.I like roast pork so much I've eaten it many times.
• 他 一 个 星期 去 两 次 健身房 。 Tā yī gè xīngqī qù liǎng cì jiànshēnfáng.He goes to the gym twice a week.
• 我 玩 过 几 次 这个 游戏，这个 游戏 还 不错。 Wǒ wán guo jǐ cì zhège yóuxì, zhège yóuxì hái bùcuò.I've played this game a few times and it's not a bad game.

To reference a specific time or instance, use 次 (cì)

To indicate "this time," "next time," "every time," "the first time," etc. use 次 (cì).

Common Phrases

• 这 次 zhè cìthis time
• 下 次 xià cìnext time
• 每 次 měi cìevery time
• 第一 次 dì-yī cìthe first time

Example Sentences

• 今天 没有 时间 ， 我们 下 次 学习 。 Jīntiān méiyǒu shíjiān, wǒmen xià cì xuéxí.No time today, we'll study next time.
• 这 次 的 旅游 很 好玩。 zhè cì de lǚyóu hěn hǎowán.This trip was fun.
• 我 每 次 上课 以前 都 会 准备 。 Wǒ měi cì shàngkè yǐqián dōu huì zhǔnbèi.I prepare before every class.
• 上 次 我 是 坐 飞机 回 美国 的。 shàng cì wǒ shì zuò fēijī huí Měiguó de.Last time I flew back to the United States.
• 这 是 我 第一 次 来 中国。 Zhè shì wǒ dì-yī cì lái Zhōngguó.This is my first time in China.

When an action is done from beginning to end, use 遍 (biàn)

This is pretty straightforward. When you do something all the way from the beginning to the end use 遍 (biàn). This is common when talking about things like a sentence someone said, a story, or a song.

Common Phrases

• 再 说 一 遍 zài shuō yī biàn say it again (from beginning to end)
• 再 听 一 遍 zài tīng yī biàn listen again (from beginning to end)
• 再 读 一 遍 zài dú yī biàn read it again (from beginning to end)

Example Sentences

Again, use 遍 (biàn) only for actions done from beginning to end.

• 你 可以 再 说 一 遍 吗？ Nǐ kěyǐ zài shuō yī biàn ma?Can you say it again?
• 我 看 过 两 遍 这个 电影。 Wǒ kàn guo liǎng biàn zhège diànyǐng.I've seen the movie twice.
• 我 很 喜欢 这 本 书，我 看 了 五 遍。 Wǒ hěn xǐhuan zhè běn shū, wǒ kàn le wǔ biàn .I like this book so much that I have read it five times.
• 这个 歌 我 每天 都 听 一 遍。 Zhège gē wǒ měi tiān dōu tīng yī biàn .I listen to this song once a day.
• 请 写 十 遍 这个 汉字。 Qǐng xiě shí biàn zhège hànzì.Please write this kanji ten times.
• 我 和 你 说 了 两 遍，你 不 可能 不 知道。 Wǒ hé nǐ shuō le liǎng biàn , nǐ bù kěnéng bù zhīdào.I've told you twice, you can't not know it.
• 这个 电影 很 好看 ， 我 想 再 看 一 遍。 Zhège diànyǐng hěn hǎokàn, wǒ xiǎng zài kàn yī biàn .This movie is so good that I want to see it again.
• 我 已经 听 了 三、四 遍， 还是 听 不 懂。 Wǒ yǐjīng tīng le sān, sì biàn , háishì tīng bù dǒng.I have listened to it three or four times, but I still don't understand it.
• 我 跟 你 说 过 很多 遍 了 ， 你 为什么 不 听 呢 ？ Wǒ gēn nǐ shuō guo hěn duō biàn le, nǐ wèishénme bù tīng ne?I've told you many times, why don't you listen?

Sources and further reading

Websites

• 汉语教学随笔“次”、“遍”、“趟”和“下”
• “遍”和“次”