Lessons 4, 5, 7: Verbal measure complements and ordinal numbers

How to say how many times an action happens with 次, 遍, 趟, 声, 下, and how to express ordinal numbers with 第.

Hanyu textbook · Hanyu 3 · Lesson 4 · Hanyu 3 · Lesson 5 · Hanyu 3 · Lesson 7

这个电影我看过两遍。

Zhège diànyǐng wǒ kànguo liǎng biàn.

I've seen this movie twice.

Explanation

A verbal measure complement states how many times an action occurs or is carried out. It is formed by a numeral and a verbal measure word such as “次”, “遍”, “声”, “趟”, “下”. The aspect particles “了” and “过” must go after the verb and before the verbal measure complement.

When the object is a noun for a thing, it mostly goes after the verbal measure complement; when the object is a personal pronoun, it must go before the complement; when the object is a place name or a person's name, it can go before or after the verbal measure complement.

“趟” is a verbal measure word that expresses the number of trips; “声” is a measure word that expresses the number of sounds made.

Comparing “次” and “遍”: both express how many times an action happens, but “遍” emphasizes the whole process from the beginning to the end of the action.

Adding the prefix “第” before a numeral expresses an ordinal number. Sometimes the numeral itself expresses the order, and “第” is not needed.

Structure

1
动词了/过数词动量词
了/过 go after the verb and before the verbal measure complement. 趟: number of trips; 声: number of sounds made.
- 他来过两次中国。
  Tā láiguo liǎng cì Zhōngguó.
  He has been to China twice.
- 他敲了一下儿门。
  Tā qiāo le yíxiàr mén.
  He knocked on the door once.
- 你这么忙，还麻烦你跑一趟。
  Nǐ zhème máng, hái máfan nǐ pǎo yí tàng.
  You're so busy, yet I still have to trouble you to make a trip.
- 不回来的同学跟我说一声。
  Bù huílai de tóngxué gēn wǒ shuō yì shēng.
  If any of you are not going back, let me know.
- 这个电影我看过两遍。
  Zhège diànyǐng wǒ kànguo liǎng biàn.
  I've seen this movie twice.
2
Vị trí tân ngữ: vật sau bổ ngữ · đại từ trước bổ ngữ · địa danh/tên người trước hoặc sau
Don't say *他找过一次你.
- 我听过一遍课文录音。
  Wǒ tīngguo yí biàn kèwén lùyīn.
  I listened to the recording of the text once.
- 他找过你一次。（不说：他找过一次你。）
  Tā zhǎoguo nǐ yí cì. (Bù shuō: Tā zhǎoguo yí cì nǐ.)
  He has looked for you once. (Don't say: Tā zhǎoguo yí cì nǐ.)
- 山本以前来过一次中国。
  Shānběn yǐqián láiguo yí cì Zhōngguó.
  Yamamoto has been to China once before.
- 山本以前来过中国一次。
  Shānběn yǐqián láiguo Zhōngguó yí cì.
  Yamamoto has been to China once before.
- 她住过一次医院。
  Tā zhùguo yí cì yīyuàn.
  She was in the hospital once.
3
次 / 遍
遍 emphasizes the whole process from beginning to end.
- 这本书很好，我已经看过两遍了。
  Zhè běn shū hěn hǎo, wǒ yǐjīng kànguo liǎng biàn le.
  This book is very good; I've read it twice already.
- 这个电影我看了三次也没看完一遍。
  Zhège diànyǐng wǒ kàn le sān cì yě méi kànwán yí biàn.
  I've watched this movie three times and have never once watched it all the way through.
4
第数词 (+ 量词/名词) · số từ tự biểu thị thứ tự (không cần 第)
In some cases the numeral itself expresses order, so 第 is not needed.
- 第一次
  dì-yī cì
  the first time
- 第五天
  dì-wǔ tiān
  the fifth day
- 第一个星期
  dì-yī ge xīngqī
  the first week
- 第四十一课
  dì sìshíyī kè
  Lesson 41
- 一月
  yīyuè
  January
- 三楼
  sān lóu
  the third floor

Usage notes

次 is used to count the number of times in general; 遍 emphasizes doing something completely from beginning to end (reading a text, listening to a recording, finishing a book).
When the object is a personal pronoun, it must go before the verbal measure complement: 找过你一次.

Common mistakes

~~我每天读过一次课文~~
我每天都读一遍课文
~~我们见面过一次~~
我们见过一次面
~~他找过一次你~~
他找过你一次

Practice

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