Use of 每 (měi) in Chinese language

We just learned that measure words are reduplicated in Chinese language to emphasize commonality among different members of a group. And you must be thinking, isn’t that what每 (měi) is used for? Yes, just like reduplicated measure words, 每 (měi) can be used to stress commonality. See example below:

每个学生都学习中文
měi gè xuéshēng dōu xuéxí zhōngwén
All the students study Chinese language

However, unlike reduplicated measure words, 每 (měi) can also be used to emphasize individuality among different group members:

我们十个学生，每个人学习的语言不同
wǒmen shí gè xuéshēng, měi gèrén xuéxí de yǔyán bùtóng
Each one of us ten students study different languages

We also learned that reduplicated measure words and nouns cannot be used as objects. But每 (měi) can be:

你要把书给每一个学生
nǐ yào bǎ shū gěi měi yī gè xuéshēng
You should give a book to every student

Reduplication of measure words and nouns

We have already learned the reduplication of verbs and reduplication of adjectives in Chinese language. And we have also learned what the measure words are. Now why not learn a bit about the reduplication of measure words.

Reduplicated measure words denote the inclusion of the entirety without exception. It is used to emphasize that all the individual members of a group share the same qualities or exist in the same state. See the example below:

他们个个都喜欢用筷子
tāmen gè gè dōu xǐhuan yòng kuàizi
They all like to use chopsticks

Similarly some nouns like 人，年 and 天 can also be reduplicated for the same purpose:

现在人人都关心北京的绿化
Xiànzài rén rén dōu guānxīn běijīng de lǜhuà
These days everyone is concerned about Beijing’s greenery.

However please note that reduplicated measure words and nouns cannot be used as objects. The sentence 我告诉人人 would be incorrect.

Measure words: 把 (bǎ) and 本 (běn)

Let’s pick up where we left off and look at couple more measure words in Chinese language. We have already learned 个 (gè), 只 (zhǐ), 顶 (dǐng), 张 (zhāng) and 条 (tiáo). Today let’s learn when to use the measure words 把 (bǎ) and 本 (běn).

把 (bǎ)

把 (bǎ) is a measure word most commonly used to quantify objects that can be grasped or objects with a handle. Few examples below:

一把刀 (yī bǎ dāo): a knife
一把椅子 (yī bǎ yǐzi): a chair
一把茶壶 (yī bǎ cháhú): a teapot

It can also be used to quantify a handful of something:

一把米 (yī bǎ mǐ): a handful of rice
一把花 (yī bǎ huā): a bunch of flowers

本 (běn)

本 (běn) is a measure word used for books.

一本书 (yī běn shū): a book
一本小说 (yī běn xiǎoshuō): a novel
一本字典 (yī běn zìdiǎn): a dictionary

It can also be used to quantify bound documents or paper products:

一本相册 (yī běn xiàngcè): a photo album

Measure words: 张 (zhāng) and 条 (tiáo)

As promised earlier, today we will look at two more measure words in Chinese language, 张 (zhāng) and 条 (tiáo) in more detail. So here we go:

张 (zhāng)

张 (zhāng) is a measure word most commonly used for objects with flat surfaces. Few examples:

一张纸 (yī zhāng zhǐ): a piece of paper

一张桌子 (yī zhāng zhuōzi): a table

一张床 (yī zhāng chuáng): a bed

张 (zhāng) can also be used with objects that can be opened and closed:

一张嘴 (yī zhāng zuǐ): a mouth

一张弓 (yī zhāng gōng): a bow

条 (tiáo)

条 (tiáo) is a measure word most commonly used for elongated objects. Few examples:

两条腿 (liǎng tiáo tuǐ): two legs

一条路 (yī tiáo lù): a road

一条河 (yī tiáo hé): a river

条 (tiáo) is also used to quantify some animals

两条鱼 (liǎng tiáo yú): a fish

一条蛇 (yī tiáo shé): a snake

Measure words: 只 (zhī) and 顶 (dǐng)

Couple of posts ago, we watched a video to learn about the measure words in Chinese language, and looked at the most common measure word, 个 (gè), in more detail. In the same post I also introduced few other measure words, 只 (zhī) ，张 (zhāng) ，条 (tiáo) and 顶 (dǐng). Today let’s learn when and how to use the measure words 只 (zhī) and 顶 (dǐng).

只 (zhī)

只 (zhī) is a measure word most commonly used to quantify one of a pair. Few examples:

两只眼睛 (liǎng zhī yǎnjīng): two eyes

两只手 (liǎng zhī shǒu): two hands

一只鞋 (yī zhī xié): one shoe

It is also used to quantify animals, boats and containers:

一只鸡 (yī zhī jī): one chicken

一只船 (yī zhī chuan): one boat

两只箱子 (liǎng zhī xiāngzi): two suitcases

顶 (dǐng)

顶 (dǐng) is a measure word for something with a top. It is most commonly used to quantify hats, caps. Few examples:

一顶帽子 (yī dǐng màozi): a hat

一顶帐子 (yī dǐng zhàngzi): a mosquito net

I hope this post was helpful on learning about the usage of measure words 只 (zhī) and 顶 (dǐng). Next post we will look at the measure words 张 (zhāng) and 条 (tiáo) in more detail.

Measure words in Chinese language

I know I have already used this video before. I am going to use it again, but this time for a different reason.

Other than the body parts what else did you notice? Yes, the measure words. 个 (gè)，只 (zhǐ)，张 (zhāng)，条 (tiáo)，顶 (dǐng) are all measure words. Measure words are used in the Chinese language when using numbers to quantify people or things. Numbers cannot be directly attached to nouns. They take the following structure:

Number + Measure Word + Noun

The most widely used measure word is 个 (gè), and it is most commonly used to quantify people:

一个人 (yī gè rén): one person

两个朋友 (liǎng gè péngyǒu): two friends

三个老师 (sān gè lǎoshī): three teachers

个 (gè) however is not only used to quantify people, it is also used to quantify other objects. Few examples:

一个土豆 (yī gè tǔdòu): a potato

五个汉字 (wǔ gè hànzì): five Chinese characters

六个大学 (liù gè dàxué): six universities

两个地方 (liǎng gè dìfāng): two places

This post is a brief introduction of measure words. I will be writing more posts in the future introducing new measure words and how to use them.

It’s too expensive!!!

We have already learned how to say It’s too expensive in Chinese language. Just in case you forgot, here it is again:

太贵了 (tài guì le): too expensive

贵 (guì ) means expensive, but what does 太 (tài) mean?

太 (tài): excessively; too; extremely

太 + adjective 了 structure can be used to express different kinds of emotional intensity (surprise, disgust, praise, excitement etc). Here are few more examples:

你太棒了！

Nǐ tài bàng le!

You are so great!

人太多了！

Rén tài duō le!

There are too many people!

你太糊涂了！

Nǐ tài hútú le!

You are so confused!

And if someone asks you How are you?, you can always respond:

太好了！(Tài hǎo le!): Great!

Black cat, white cat

Deng Xiaoping was one of the most prominent leaders of the Chinese communist party. He is also well known for his quotation below:

不管白猫，黑猫，逮住老鼠就是好猫

Bùguǎn bái māo, hēi māo, dǎi zhù lǎoshǔ jiùshì hǎo māo

Doesn’t matter whether it is a white cat or a black cat, as long as it catches mice, it is a good cat.

Does 猫 look familiar? Yes this is the same 猫 from熊猫.

熊 (xióng): bear

猫 (māo): cat

熊猫 (xióngmāo): panda

老鼠 (lǎoshǔ): mouse

And how about these two colors we just learned?

白 (bái): white

黑 (hēi):black

Here are some more words worth learning

就是 (jiùshì): quite right; exactly; precisely

不管 (bùguǎn): no matter; regardless of

And some examples:

他就是我们的中文老师

Tā jiùshì wǒmen de zhōngwén lǎoshī

He is definitely our Chinese teacher.

不管什么国家的足球比赛，我都看

Bùguǎn shénme guójiā de zúqiú bǐsài, wǒ dōu kàn

No matter which country is playing, I watch all soccer games.

Fat panda from Sichuan

Earlier we learned that other than its girls and food, Sichuan province is also famous for its pandas. Pandas are native to central and south-western China, and they live mostly in Sichuan province. According to UNESCO website, Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries are home to more than 30% of world’s pandas.

[Source: Click here]

Now let’s learn more about the pandas.

熊猫 (xióngmāo): panda

熊猫很可爱

Xióngmāo hěn kě'ài

Pandas are very cute

它耳朵小小的

Tā ěrduo xiǎo xiǎo de

They have small ears

它眼睛大大的

Tā yǎnjīng dàdà de

Their eyes are big

它尾巴短短的

Tā wěiba duǎn duǎn de

They have short tails

它身体胖胖的

Tā shēntǐ pàngpàng de

Their bodies are fat

Did you notice something in the above sentences? Yes, the reduplication of adjectives. Adjectives are reduplicated in Chinese language to indicate a higher degree of a certain quality than their non-reduplicated versions. The reduplicated form of monosyllabic adjective is AA and of disyllabic adjective is AABB. For example:

长长 (chángcháng)

漂漂亮亮 (piàopiàoliàngliàng)

Check this post for the reduplication of verbs in Chinese language.

The 还 (hái) words of Chinese language

Earlier we looked at the 好 (hǎo) words of Chinese language. Now let us look at the 还 (hái) words.

In one of the earlier posts, How to say Hello in Chinese?, we learned that one way of responding to the question “How are you?” is 还好 (hái hǎo). 还好 means Okay.

The adverb 还 means “rather; fairly”, implying that something is neither too good, nor too bad. Let’s look at some other 还 words of Chinese language:

还行 (hái xíng): not bad

还可以 (hái kěyǐ): Okay

还不错 (hái bùcuò): not bad

还凑合 (hái còuhé): not too bad

As you can see above, all of these 还 (hái) words mean either Okay or not bad. Now you can also use one of the above instead of 还好 (hái hǎo) you have been using.

Reduplication of verbs in Chinese language

You must have seen verbs being repeated in Chinese language, like the one below:

学习学习 (xuéxí xuéxí)

No, it’s not a mistake. Verbs are reduplicated as shown above to denote short duration of actions. It can also be used to express an attempt. Reduplication of verbs softens the tone of a sentence, making it more relaxed and informal.

The reduplicated form of monosyllabic verbs is A一A, and the reduplicated form of disyllabic verbs is ABAB:

看一看(kàn yī kàn)

想一想(xiǎng yī xiǎng)

学习学习(xuéxí xuéxí)

认识认识(rènshi rènshi)

Let’s look at some examples of how they are used in sentences:

我可以看一看吗？

Wǒ kěyǐ kàn yī kàn ma?

Can I look at it quickly?

我想跟他们认识认识

Wǒ xiǎng gēn tāmen rènshi rènshi

I want to meet them

I am starving to death

How hungry are you? Well, if you are really hungry then you should definitely learn this.

我饿死了 (Wǒ è sǐ le): I am starving to death

And now that you have eaten a lot:

我吃饱了 (Wǒ chī bǎo le): I am full

As you might have noticed in the first sentence, 死了 (sǐ le) is used to reflect an extreme situation. You need one more example? Here you go:

我累死了 (Wǒ lèi sǐ le): I am dying of exhaustion

How else can you show an extreme situation? How about 极了 (jí le)?

好极了 (hǎo jí le): wonderful; great

This can be your response next time someone asks you “How are you?” Below is one more example:

阿拉斯加冷极了

Ālāsījiā lěng jí le

Alaska is extremely cold

And you can use 腻了 (nì le) when you are sick or bored of doing something.

这道菜我天天吃，都吃腻了

Zhè dào cài wǒ tiāntiān chī, dōu chī nì le

I eat this dish every day, I am sick of it.

Remember 死了 (sǐ le), 极了 (jí le) and 腻了 (nì le).

怎么(zěnme) vs. 怎么样 (zěnme yàng)

Earlier we looked at some of the uses of 怎么 (zěnme), but make sure that you don’t confuse it with 怎么样 (zěnme yàng). Even though they look alike they mean completely different things. You can revisit the post Why are you so Stupid? to refresh yourself on the uses of 怎么 (zěnme). And below are some of the common uses of 怎么样 (zěnme yàng).

To ask about the state of someone/something

你最近怎么样？

Nǐ zuìjìn zěnme yàng?

How are you these days?

你工作怎么样？

Nǐ gōngzuò zěnme yàng?

How is your job?

To get someone’s opinion

跟我们一起去，怎么样？

Gēn wǒmen yīqǐ qù, zěnme yàng?

How about going together with us?

我们踢足球，怎么样？

Wǒmen tī zúqiú, zěnme yàng?

How about we play soccer?

Hope these examples gave you a better idea between the differences of 怎么 (zěnme) and 怎么样 (zěnme yàng).

Why are you so stupid?

Have you ever wanted to learn how to say “Why are you so stupid?” in Chinese language. Well I did, and I also used it a lot with my friends (jokingly of course) when I first learnt it. So this is how you say it:

你怎么这么笨？

Nǐ zěnme zhème bèn?

Why are you so stupid?

As you can see in the above sentence, 怎么 (zěnme) can be used to ask “Why” or “How come” questions. Here is another example:

你怎么不去开会？

Nǐ zěnme bù qù kāihuì?

Why didn’t you attend the meeting?

But this is not the only way how 怎么 (zěnme) can be used. It can also be used to ask “How” questions. Let’s look at some examples.

你怎么学习中文？

Nǐ zěnme xuéxí zhōngwén?

How do you study Chinese?

去大学怎么走？

Qù dàxué zěnme zǒu?

How can I get to the university?

The 好 (hǎo) words of Chinese language

好 (hǎo) means good in Chinese language. You must have already seen it in 你好 (nǐ hǎo), which means Hello.

你 (nǐ) = you

你好 (nǐ hǎo) = you good = Hello

As shown above, 好 (hǎo) can be combined with other characters to mean different things. One very common combination is 好 (hǎo) + Verb. Below are some common 好 (hǎo) + Verb words:

好吃(hǎo chī)

吃(chī) = eat

好吃(hǎo chī) = good eat = tasty; delicious

我妈妈做的饭很好吃

Wǒ māmā zuò de fàn hěn hào chī

The food my mom cooks in delicious.

好听(hǎo tīng)

听(tīng) = listen; hear

好听(hǎotīng) = good listen = pleasant to listen

这个音乐很好听

Zhège yīnyuè hěn hǎotīng

This music is very pleasant.

好看(hǎo kàn)

看(kàn)= see; look at; watch

好看(hǎokàn) = good see = fine; nice; good looking

我的女朋友很好看

Wǒ de nǚ péngyǒu hěn hǎokàn

My girlfriend is very good looking.

But 好 (hǎo) + Verb is not the only way 好 (hǎo) can be used. Here are few other 好 (hǎo) words:

好心(hǎo xīn): good intention

好像(hǎo xiàng): look like; seem like

好多(hǎo duō): many; plenty