The quantifiers

In the previous lessons, the abbreviation QU, which stands for “quantifier”, often occurred in the examples. The quantifier, or measure word, is a word that has to be placed between a number and a name and it defines the category to which the noun belongs.

This is a part of Chinese grammar that doesn’t exist in European languages, but it can be explained with a couple of examples.

A pair of trousers (to indicate an object that is used in pairs)

A flock of sheeps, a herd of horses (to indicate a group of animals)

The same happens in Chinese. The difference is that quantifiers shall be used with every single word and are different according to the category to which the noun belongs or to what one is meant to say. Let’s see some of the most common quantifiers.

个 (gè): it is the generic quantifier that is usually used when the correct quantifier of a word is unknown. It is used to indicate people or abstract things.

一个星期
yī gè xīngqí
[one QU week]
A week

一个故事
yī gè gùshì
[one QU story]
A story

本 (běn): used to indicate volumes such as books, magazines etc…

一本书
yī běn shū
[one QU book]
A book

位 (wèi): specific quantifier for people, used as polite form

一位老师
yī wèi lǎoshī
[one QU teacher]
A teacher

口 (kǒu): it means “mouth”, but it is also used as a quantifier for family members and it can be easily memorized if you think of the “mouths to feed” in a family

我家里有三口人
wǒ jiā li yǒu sān kǒu rén
[I family inside there-is three QU person]
There are three people in my family

张 (zhāng): quantifier for flat objects such as a bed, a letter, a table, etc…

一张桌子
yī zhāng zhuōzi
[one QU table]
A table

把 (bǎ): quantifier for objects that can be grabbed with a hand such as a chair, a pen, etc… also this quantifier can be easily memorized simply by keeping in mind that the first part of the character (扌) is none other than the radical for 手 (shǒu), “hand”

一把椅子
yī bǎ yǐzi
[one QU chair]
A chair

家(jiā): in addition to the meaning of “house, family”, it can serve as a quantifier for business establishments

一家书店
yījiā shūdiàn
[one QU bookstore]
A bookstore

只 (zhǐ): quantifier for boats, certain animals (generally small ones) and each one of a pair

一只猫
yī zhǐ māo
[one QU cat]
A cat

一只鞋子
yī zhǐ xiézi
[one QU shoe]
A shoe

匹 (pǐ): quantifier used exclusively for horses and mules

一匹马
yī pǐ mǎ
[one QU horse]
A horse

头 (tóu): used for big four-legged animals

一头牛
yī tóu niú
[one QU cow]
A cow

件 (jiàn): quantifier used for clothing, furniture, luggage and general matters

一件毛衣
yī jiàn máoyī
[one QU sweater]
A sweater

一件事
yī jiàn shì
[one QU matter]
A matter

块 (kuài): quantifier used to indicate “a slice”, “a piece”, but also with money in colloquial speech

一块蛋糕
yī kuài dàngāo
[one QU cake]
A piece of cake

三百块
sān bǎi kuài
[three hundred QU]
Three hundred (yuan)

辆 (liàng): used to indicate vehicles, also this one can be easily memorized given that the left part is represented by the radical for “vehicle” (车 chē)

一辆自行车
yī liàng zìxíngchē
[one QU bicycle]
A bicycle

条 (tiáo): used to indicate long, narrow or thin objects

一条路
yī tiáo lù
[one QU street]
A street

一条裤子
yī tiáo kùzi
[one QU trousers]
A pair of trousers

对 (duì): used to indicate the couple

一对夫妇
yī duì fūfù
[one QU husband-wife]
A married couple

双 (shuāng): used to indicate a pair that can be separated

一双筷子
yī shuāng kuàizi
[one QU chopstick]
A pair of chopsticks

些 (xiē): used with the meaning of “some”

一些学生
yī xiē xuéshēng
[one QU student]
Some students

座 (zuò): quantifier used for buildings, mountains and immovable objects

一座桥
yī zuò qiáo
[one QU bridge]
A bridge

杯 (bēi): used with beverages to indicate “a cup”

一杯咖啡
yī bēi kāfēi
[one QU coffee]
A cup of coffe

瓶 (píng): used to indicate “the bottle”

一瓶啤酒
yī píng píjiǔ
[one QU beer]
A bottle of beer

首 (shǒu): quantifer for songs and poems

一首歌
yī shǒu gē
[one QU song]
A song

部 (bù): quantifier for artistic works

一部电影
yī bù diànyǐng
[one QU movie]
A movie

Besides, quantifiers also have to be used after demonstrative adjectives, the interrogative substitutions 哪 and 几 and the indefinite adjective 每 (měi) “each”.

DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVE

这些日子
zhèxiē rìzi
[this QU day]
In these days

INTERROGATIVE SUBSTITUTIONS

哪本书？
nǎ běn shū
[which QU book]
Which book?

你们几位？
nǐmen jǐ wèi?
[you how-many QU]
How many are you? (in this case the quantifier 位 implies the word “person” that doesn’t need to be clarified because the quantifier already specifies what it is about)

ADJECTIVE 每

每个人
měi gè rén
[each QU person]
Everyone (each person)

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