Chinese Measure Words (Part 7): Time, Units of Measure
- Introduction & Full List
- Part 1: People, Animals, Plants
- Part 2: Size & Shape, Wrapped Items
- Part 3: Events, Buildings & Structures
- Part 4: Foods, Household Items, Clothing
- Part 5: Pairs, Groups, Collections
- Part 6: Speech & Writing, Machines & Vehicles
- Part 7: Time, Units of Measure
Time
Some of the words designating units of time are “their own” measure words. The rest are used in combination with the generic 个 (ge).
| 秒 | miǎo | second | 一秒钟 (yī miǎo zhōng) “one second” |
|---|---|---|---|
| 分 | fēn | minute | 一分钟 (yī fēnzhōng) “one minute” |
| 天 | tiān | day | 一天 (yī tiān) “one day” |
| 日 | rì | day | 一日 (yī rì) “one day” (used in literature and journalism) |
|
周 (週) |
zhōu | week | 一周 (yī zhōu) “one week” (used in literature and journalism) |
| 年 | nián | year | 一年 (yī nián) “one year” |
| 代 | dài | era, generation | 上一代 (shàng yīdài) “the previous generation”
下一代 (xià yīdài) “the next generation” |
|
个 (個) |
gè | unit | 一个小时 (yīgè xiǎoshí) “one hour”
一个钟头 (yīgè zhōngtóu) “one hour” 一个星期 (yīgè xīngqí) “one week” 一个礼拜 (yīgè lǐbài) “one week” 一个月 (yīgè yuè) “one month” 一个年代 (yīgè niándài) “one decade” 一个世纪 (yī gè shìjì) “one century” |
Units of Measure
Units of measure generally follow the grammatical structure of other measure words.
| 斤 | jīn | unit of weight (~0.5 kg) |
|---|---|---|
| 吨 | dūn | unit of weight (ton) |
| 磅 | bàng | unit of weight (pound) |
| 坪 | píng | unit of area (~0.6 m2) |
|
块 (塊) |
kuài | monetary unit (1 yuan) |
| 毛 | máo | monetary unit (1/10 yuan) |
|
笔 (筆) |
bǐ | an unspecified amount of money |
| 寸 | cùn | one inch (~1/30 m) |
| 尺 | chǐ | one foot (~1/3 m) |
| 里 | lǐ | unit of distance (~0.5 km) |
| 升 | shēng | unit of volume (1 liter) |
| 斗 | dòu | unit of volume (10 liter) |
| 度 | dù | degree, level |
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Do they have these measures? And could you help me and provide their translations? THANKS
Factor Name Symbol
yotta Y
zetta Z
exa E
peta P
tera T
giga G
mega M