In Chinese, a simple numeral cannot quantify a noun by itself; instead, the language relies on what are known as measure words or, to a lesser extent, s. There are two types of such classifiers, and , with the latter being used in quantifying verbs and the amount of time which they take precedence. also has its share of classifiers, however these are generally understood to be extraneous and ultimately construe the object in question with greater detail. As an example, in the English phrase "a stretch of sand", the word "stretch" is needed to disambiguate whether the sand is actually one grain or an entire beach's worth. Therefore, "stretch" serves to further specify the quantity of sand. We can also speak of "a bucketful of sand", "a grain of sand" or "a ton of sand". Other examples are the word "slice" as in "a slice of bread" and "glass" as in "a glass of water". Contrast these phrases with "a sand", "a bread", and "a water".
It should be noted that the usage of measure words in Chinese is strictly ''mandatory'', that is, they must be used so long as a quantifying numeral or a pronoun is present . In contrast with the English language wherein "a flock of birds" is roughly equivalent to "some birds", in Chinese only "" is possible. Likewise, "a bird" should be translated into "" ; it is as though English speakers were forced to say "a specimen of a bird".
Usage also depends on personal preference and dialects. For example, some people use ; and others use to mean three cars. Still others use or in Cantonese , with all of these measure words serving the same purpose.
Some measure words are true units, which all languages must have in order to measure things, e.g. kilometres. These are displayed first, then other nominal classifiers, and finally verbal classifiers.
In the following tables, the first column contains the traditional version of the classifier's character, the second contains the simplified version where it differs, the third contains the pronunciation given in Hanyu Pinyin, the fourth contains the pronunciation given in Cantonese romanization , and the fifth explains the word's principal uses. Quotation marks surround the literal meaning of the measure word.
Nominal Classifiers
True units
Column key:
*Trad. is Traditional
*Simp. shows changes made for the simplified variant
More idiomatic
Column key: Trad. is Traditional, Simp. shows changes made for the simplified variant .
|| || tí || tai4
| classifier for questions
|-
| || || tiáo || tiu4
| long, narrow, flexible objects
|-
| || || tóu || tau4
| "head" — domesticated animals , hair
|-
| || || tuán || tyun4
| "ball" — rotund and wound objects
|-
| || || wèi || wai2
| polite classifier for people
|-
| || || xiàng || hong6
| projects
|-
| || || yàng || yeung6
| general items of differing attributes
|-
| || || zhā || ja1
| In Cantonese usage, this is used in lieu of shù , e.g. a bundle of flowers
"jar", "jug" — drinks such as beer, soda, juice, etc.
|-
| || || zhǎn || jaan2
| light fixtures , pot of tea etc.
|-
| || || zhāng || jeung1
| "sheet" — flat objects , faces, bows, paintings, tickets, constellations
|-
| || || zhèn || jan6
| "gust", "burst" — events with short durations
|-
| || || zhī || ji1
| fairly long, stick-like objects
|-
| || || zhī || jek3
| one of a pair ; animals
|-
| || || zhī || ji1
| alternative form of 支 : can be used for rifles and flowers
|-
| || || zhǒng || jung2
| types or kinds of objects
|-
| || || zǔ || jou2
| sets, rows, series, batteries
|-
| || || chuàn ||
| sets of numbers; or something that comes in a string
|-
| || || zuò || jo6
| large structures/buildings, mountains
|}
Verbal Classifiers
Column key: Trad. is Traditional, Simp. shows changes made for the simplified variant .
Informal Classifiers
In modern colloquial speech of certain Chinese dialects, is sometimes used instead of , thereby assuming the identity of a measure word meaning "two of ". The same holds true for , three .
Examples
;Colour-coding: measure words are in green and nouns are in purple.
*
:Last year, I rode a horse.
*
:This television set broke after one viewing.
*
:I've reserved these two buses.
*。
:Only after this rain passes will I climb that mountain.
*
:A hair, a strand of hair.
*
:Five minutes.
*
:Ten days.
*
:A hundred oxen, a hundred head of cattle.
*
:An apple
*
:A pound of apples.
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