Library · Introduction to Chinese grammar
5 Numbers and measure words
What you'll learn How to count things, and say prices, dates, the time and ages.
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5.1 Counting
From one to ten: 一, 二, 三, 四, 五, 六, 七, 八, 九, 十. Zero is 零.
The numbers after ten are said as they are built: 十一 is literally ten one, eleven; 二十 is two ten, twenty; and 二十五, twenty-five.
百 is a hundred and 千 a thousand: 三百, 两千兩千. 零 stands where a place is left empty: 一百零五 is a hundred and five.
这个学校有两千八百个学生。這個學校有兩千八百個學生。
This school has 2,800 students.
一年有三百六十五天。一秊有三百六十五天。
There are 365 days in a year.
那个饭店有一百零八个房间。那個飯店有一百零八個房間。
That hotel has 108 rooms.
一个星期有七天。一個星期有七天。
There are seven days in a week.
我家有四口人：爸爸、妈妈、哥哥和我。我家有四口人：爸爸、媽媽、哥哥和我。
There are four of us: Dad, Mum, my older brother and me.
半 is half. Before a thing it takes a measure word, as a number does: 半个苹果半個蘋果, half an apple.
他吃了半个苹果。他吃了半個蘋果。
He ate half an apple.
5.2 Two of something: 两兩
Chinese has two words for two. 二 is the number as you count, and inside a bigger number: 一、二、三, 十二, 二十. For two of something, before a measure word, it is 两兩: 两个人兩個人, two people.
王明有两个弟弟。王明有兩個弟弟。
Wang Ming has two younger brothers.
大卫有两只狗。大衛有兩只狗。
David has two dogs.
我两分钟后到。我兩分鐘後到。
I'll be there in two minutes.
✗我买了二本书。我買了二本書。
I bought two books.
Two o'clock is 两点兩點, and before 千 it is usually 两兩 too: 两千兩千.
这个手机两千元。這個手機兩千元。
This phone is 2,000 yuan.
In a bigger number, and in dates, it stays 二: 十二, twelve; 二月, February.
他买了十二个苹果。他買了十二個蘋果。
He bought twelve apples.
我们二月去中国。我們二月去中國。
We're going to China in February.
5.3 Measure words
Between a number and a thing goes a measure word: 一个人一個人, one person; 三本书三本書, three books. English has a few of these, as in two cups of tea; in Chinese nearly every thing counted takes one.
王明有三本汉语书。王明有三本漢語書。
Wang Ming has three Chinese books.
✗我有三书。我有三書。
I've got three books.
个個 is for people and most things, and the one to use when unsure. The others go with a kind of thing: 本 with books, 件 with clothes, 只 with animals, 杯 with drinks, and 家 with shops and restaurants. 口 is for the people in a family.
只 for animals is read zhī; when it means only, it is zhǐ.
李月有一件新衣服。
Li Yue has something new to wear.
张老师家有一只狗。張老師家有一只狗。
Teacher Zhang has a dog.
李月家有三口人。
There are three people in Li Yue's family.
那家饭店的菜很好吃。那家飯店的菜很好吃。
The food at that restaurant is good.
After 这這, 那 and 几幾 the measure word is there as well: 这本书這本書, 那件衣服, 几个人幾個人.
您要几杯茶？您要幾杯茶？
How many cups of tea would you like?
5.4 First, second: 第
第 before a number makes it first, second, third: 第一, 第二, 第三.
王明第一，李月第二。
Wang Ming came first, and Li Yue second.
请看第十七课。請看第十七課。
Please look at lesson seventeen.
Before a thing, the measure word comes after the number, as it does without 第: 第一个人第一個人, the first person.
这是我的第一本汉语书。這是我的第一本漢語書。
This is my first Chinese book.
第一个字我认识，第二个我不认识。第一個字我認識，第二個我不認識。
I know the first character, but not the second.
A date takes no 第: 三月 is March, and 三号三號 the third of the month.
一月一日是一年的第一天。一月一日是一秊的第一天。
The first of January is the first day of the year.
5.5 Prices
China's money is the yuan. Said, it is 块塊; written, as on a price, it is 元. Both go after the number, where a measure word goes: 五块五塊, 五元, five yuan.
一杯茶五块。一杯茶五塊。
A cup of tea is five yuan.
这个电脑四千零九十九元。這個電腦四千零九十九元。
This computer is 4,099 yuan.
这个房间一天三百元。這個房間一天三百元。
This room is 300 yuan a night.
钱錢, money, often follows 块塊, and needn't: 十块钱十塊錢 and 十块十塊 are the same. Half a yuan is 半: 一块半一塊半, one yuan fifty.
我只有十块钱。我只有十塊錢。
I've only got ten yuan.
一个包子一块半。一個包子一塊半。
A bun is one yuan fifty.
To ask the price, 多少钱多少錢 follows the thing.
这件衣服多少钱？這件衣服多少錢？
How much is this?
这些苹果多少钱？這些蘋果多少錢？
How much are these apples?
5.6 Dates and days of the week
A date goes from the biggest to the smallest: the year, the month, then the day. A year is read a digit at a time: 一九九八年一九九八秊.
一九九八年我十岁。一九九八秊我十歲。
In 1998 I was ten.
The months are numbered: 一月 is January, 十二月 December. With 个個 between, it is a length of time: 三个月三個月, three months.
The day of the month is 号號 when said, and 日 when written: 十月一号十月一號, 十月一日.
明天几号？——明天二十九号。明天幾號？——明天二十九號。
What's the date tomorrow? — The twenty-ninth.
我五号回家。我五號回家。
I'm going home on the fifth.
五月一日我们休息。五月一日我們休息。
We have the first of May off.
星期 is a week, and the days are numbered after it, from Monday: 星期一 is Monday, 星期二 Tuesday, and so on to 星期六, Saturday. Sunday is 星期天, or 星期日.
今天十月二十八号，星期三。今天十月二十八號，星期三。
Today is Wednesday, the twenty-eighth of October.
十二月二十五日是星期五。
The twenty-fifth of December is a Friday.
1.6 Days, ages and prices, with no verb, 6.1 When comes before the verb
5.7 Telling the time
The hour is a number and 点點: 八点八點, eight o'clock. Two o'clock is 两点兩點. The minutes past it are a number and 分: 八点十分八點十分, ten past eight. 半 is half past: 八点半八點半.
现在十点二十分。現在十點二十分。
It's twenty past ten.
现在九点零五分。現在九點零五分。
It's five past nine.
我们九点半在这儿见。我們九點半在這兒見。
Let's meet here at half past nine.
When something happens goes before the verb: 我七点起床我七點起床, I get up at seven.
我早上七点十分起床。我早上七點十分起床。
I get up at ten past seven.
张老师，您几点上课？張老師，您幾點上課？
What time is your class, Teacher Zhang?
For how long, it is 分钟分鐘 for minutes and 小时小時 for hours: 五分钟五分鐘, five minutes; 两个小时兩個小時, two hours.
我们在这儿休息五分钟。我們在這兒休息五分鐘。
Let's take a five-minute break here.
✗我们在这儿休息五分。我們在這兒休息五分。
Let's take a five-minute break here.
我们五分钟后见。我們五分鐘後見。
See you in five minutes.
5.8 Saying how old someone is
An age is a number and 岁歲: 二十岁二十歲, twenty years old. It follows the person with no verb between them.
我弟弟今年十二岁。我弟弟今年十二歲。
My younger brother is twelve this year.
小白今年三岁。小白今年三歲。
Xiaobai is three this year.
我爸爸六十岁。我爸爸六十歲。
My dad is sixty.
It takes no 有, though have does in French or Spanish.
✗我有二十岁。我有二十歲。
I'm twenty.
A child is asked 你几岁了？你幾歲了？ and anyone older 你多大了？ 了 at the end is common in the answer too: 我六岁了我六歲了, I'm six.
你几岁了？——我六岁了。你幾歲了？——我六歲了。
How old are you? — I'm six.
大卫多大了？——他二十四岁。大衛多大了？——他二十四歲。
How old is David? — He's twenty-four.
那些孩子都七岁。那些孩子都七歲。
Those children are all seven.