10 Measure Words — 重 chóng, 截 jié, 缕 lǚ, 码 mǎ, 枚 méi, 摊 tān, 丸 wán, 则 zé, 幢 zhuàng, 宗 zōng
Ten advanced measure words: for layers, cut-off sections, wisps, yards, small formal objects, puddles, pills, short pieces of writing, buildings, and formal cases.
The pattern is always Number + Measure Word + Noun. Several words here — 重 chóng and 幢 — have pronunciations worth watching closely, so keep an eye on the notes below each one.
1 Quick Reference
A cheat sheet before diving into examples.
| Word | Used For | Example Nouns |
|---|---|---|
| 重 chóng | Layers or repetitions | mountain ranges, dual identities |
| 截 jié | A cut-off section | rope, wire, wood, a leg |
| 缕 lǚ | Wisps or threads | smoke, sorrow, fragrance |
| 码 mǎ | Yards, or “a matter” | fabric length, “a different matter” |
| 枚 méi | Small flat or round objects (formal) | coins, medals, missiles |
| 摊 tān | A puddle or spread mess | water, blood, oil |
| 丸 wán | Pills or pellets | medicine, herbal remedies |
| 则 zé | Short pieces of writing | news items, jokes, fables |
| 幢 zhuàng | Buildings (formal) | large buildings, villas |
| 宗 zōng | Cases or transactions (formal) | legal cases, business deals |
2 Usage
重 chóng — Layers or Repetitions
重 is a heteronym: read chóng, it’s this measure word for layers or repeated instances (一重山, 雙重). Read zhòng, it means “heavy” or “weight” (很重, 重量).
截 jié — A Cut-Off Section
缕 lǚ — Wisps or Threads
码 mǎ — Yards, or “A Matter”
枚 méi — Small Flat or Round Objects (Formal)
摊 tān — A Puddle or Spread Mess
丸 wán — Pills or Pellets
In Taiwan, 丸 wán is rarely used as a measure word. Instead, it is generally used as a noun suffix to refer to processed, spherical food ingredients, such as 贡丸 gòngwán (pork balls), 鱼丸 yúwán (fish balls), and 花枝丸 huāzhīwán (squid balls).
则 zé — Short Pieces of Writing
幢 zhuàng — Buildings (Formal)
has a real pronunciation split between the two scripts: in Taiwan, it’s read chuáng; in mainland China, it’s read zhuàng. The character and the meaning stay the same — only the reading shifts depending on where you learned it.
宗 zōng — Cases or Transactions (Formal)
3 Practice Quiz
Fill in the blank with the correct measure word.
那个山脊后面还有一 ＿＿＿ 山。
There’s another mountain range beyond that ridge.
他剪下了一 ＿＿＿ 绳子。
He cut off a section of rope.
一 ＿＿＿ 淡淡的香气飘了过来。
A faint wisp of fragrance drifted over.
这块布长五 ＿＿＿。
This fabric is five yards long.
她戴着一 ＿＿＿ 漂亮的胸针。
She wears a beautiful brooch.
地上有一 ＿＿＿ 油。
There’s a puddle of oil on the ground.
他吃了一 ＿＿＿ 中药。
He took a pill of traditional medicine.
我今天读了一 ＿＿＿ 有趣的寓言。
I read an interesting fable today.
街角有一 ＿＿＿ 老建筑。
There’s an old building on the street corner.
这是一 ＿＿＿ 重要的案件。
This is an important legal case.
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