Home / Courses / Mandarin Chinese 1 / Unit 4

Mandarin Chinese 1 Unit 4: Measure words and possession

In Chinese you can't put a number right before a noun. You need a measure word in between.

Covers: 个, 本, 只, 杯, 张, 辆, number + measure word + noun, 的 for possession, 这 and 那

Study guide

In Mandarin, a number can't go directly before a noun; a measure word (classifier) goes between them: number + measure word + noun. 个 (gè) is the general measure word for people and many things: 三个人 (three people), 一个苹果 (an apple). Other common ones are 本 (běn) for books (一本书), 只 (zhī) for most animals (两只猫, two cats), 杯 (bēi) for cups of drinks (一杯茶, a cup of tea), 张 (zhāng) for flat things like paper, tickets, tables and photos (一张纸), and 辆 (liàng) for vehicles (一辆车). If you're not sure, 个 is the safest choice. Remember to use 两 (liǎng), not 二, before measure words.

The particle 的 (de) shows possession, like 's in English: 我的书 (wǒ de shū, my book), 老师的车 (the teacher's car). With close relationships like family or with your own country, 的 is often dropped: 我妈妈 (my mom), 我们学校 (our school). 的 also links descriptions to nouns: 红色的车 (a red car).

这 (zhè, this) and 那 (nà, that) point to things. Before a noun they need a measure word: 这本书 (this book), 那个人 (that person). Their plural forms use 些 (xiē): 这些 (these), 那些 (those). 哪 (nǎ) asks "which": 哪个? (which one?).

Pronouns are simple: 我 (wǒ, I), 你 (nǐ, you), 他/她 (tā, he/she); add 们 (men) to make them plural: 我们 (we), 你们 (you all), 他们 (they).

Location words attach directly to a noun without 的: 桌子上 (on the table), 房间里 (in the room), 学校前面 (in front of the school). 的 is used with the longer forms when they modify something else: 桌子上的书 (the book on the table). Other high-frequency measure words include 件 (jiàn) for clothing and matters (一件衣服), 块 (kuài) for pieces and money, 次 (cì) for the number of times (去过两次), 岁 for years of age, and 口 (kǒu) for family members (我家有四口人).

Key ideas

• Pattern: number + measure word + noun (三本书 = three books).
• 个 (gè) is the general measure word.
• 本 (běn) books; 只 (zhī) small animals; 杯 (bēi) cups; 张 (zhāng) flat things; 辆 (liàng) vehicles.
• 两 (liǎng) replaces 二 before measure words: 两个人.
• 的 (de) shows possession: 我的书 = my book.

Formulas and rules

Common mistakes

• Leaving out the measure word (三书 ✗).
• Saying 二个 instead of 两个.

Words to know

个

(general measure word) (gè)

本

(measure word for books) (běn)

只

(measure word for animals) (zhī)

张

(measure word for flat things) (zhāng)

辆

(measure word for vehicles) (liàng)

杯

a cup of (bēi)

件

(measure word for clothes) (jiàn)

条

(measure word for long things) (tiáo)

双

a pair of (shuāng)

位

(polite measure word for people) (wèi)

口

(measure word for family members) (kǒu)

瓶

a bottle of (píng)

碗

a bowl of (wǎn)

支

(measure word for pens) (zhī)

纸

paper (zhǐ)

车

car (chē)

照片

photo (zhàopiàn)

笔

pen (bǐ)

衣服

clothes (yīfu)

椅子

chair (yǐzi)

桌子

table (zhuōzi)

电脑

computer (diànnǎo)

手机

cell phone (shǒujī)

鸟

bird (niǎo)

啤酒

beer (píjiǔ)

可乐

cola (kělè)

这

this (zhè)

那

that (nà)

哪

which (nǎ)

这个

this one (zhège)

那个

that one (nàge)

哪个？

which one? (nǎge?)

这些

these (zhèxiē)

那些

those (nàxiē)

哪些

which ones (nǎxiē)

这儿

here (zhèr)

那儿

there (nàr)

的

(possessive particle) (de)

我的

my / mine (wǒ de)

你的

your / yours (nǐ de)

Sample practice questions

23 more questions like these, from level 1 to 5, are in the practice set.