More Measure Words — 通 tōng, 人次 réncì
Two more advanced measure words: one for a full communicative episode like a phone call or a rant, and one specialized compound for counting visits rather than people.
The pattern is Number + Measure Word + Noun, same as always — but 人次 réncì is a bit unusual: it’s a two-character compound built from 人 (person) + 次 (times), used specifically in statistics.
1 Quick Reference
A cheat sheet before diving into examples.
| Word | Used For | Example Nouns |
|---|---|---|
| 通 tōng | A full communicative episode | a phone call, a rant, a scolding |
| 人次 réncì | Visit-instances (statistics) | attendance, patient visits, tourist counts |
2 Usage
通 tōng — A Full Communicative Episode
通 tōng isn’t a generic counter like 次 cì — it specifically marks a full episode of communication or venting, start to finish: a whole phone call, a whole outburst of temper, a whole rant. You wouldn’t use it for something brief or silent.
人次 réncì — Visit-Instances
人 rén and 人次 réncì count different things. 人 counts unique individuals — if the same person visits three times, that’s still just one person (一人). 人次 counts every visit as its own instance — that same person visiting three times contributes three 人次. This is why statistics reported in 人次 can be much larger than the actual number of people involved.
3 Practice Quiz
Fill in the blank with the correct measure word.
我需要打一 ＿＿＿ 电话。
I need to make a phone call.
他被妈妈骂了一 ＿＿＿。
He got a scolding from his mother.
今年这个公园有一百万 ＿＿＿ 的游客。
This park had one million visitor-instances this year.
我接到一 ＿＿＿ 陌生电话。
I received a phone call from an unknown number.
这个展览总共吸引了二十万 ＿＿＿。
The exhibition attracted a total of two hundred thousand visits.
老师对学生训了一 ＿＿＿。
The teacher gave the students a lecture.
上个月这个活动有多少 ＿＿＿ ？
How many visitor-instances did this event have last month?
有空请给我打一 ＿＿＿ 电话。
Please give me a call when you’re free.
这家医院一天大约看诊五百 ＿＿＿。
This hospital sees about five hundred patient-visits a day.
她在电话里跟朋友发了一 ＿＿＿ 牢骚。
She vented to her friend on the phone.
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