Collective Nouns
Collective nouns name groups of people, animals, or things as a single unit. Mandarin often uses measure words and specific group terms to convey collectives precisely.
Groups of People
Groups of people are often named by their function or relation, and you typically use a measure word like gè 个 or a more specific one such as bāng 帮 to quantify them. Collective nouns can emphasize the group's purpose or social bond.
Sign In
Add an email to access exercises.
Groups of Animals
Animal collectives sometimes have special names and usually require a measure word like qún 群 for herds or flocks. Using the appropriate measure word highlights the type and number of animals in the group.
Sign In
Add an email to access exercises.
Groups of Things
Collectives for things often depend on the item's nature, with common measure words like pī 匹 for horses or jiā 家 for businesses. Mandarin groups inanimate objects by category using these classifiers to make the collective precise.
Sign In
Add an email to access exercises.
Measure Words
Measure words (or classifiers) are required when counting nouns and often appear in collective expressions. They signal the noun's category and help form clear quantifiable groups in Mandarin.
Sign In
Add an email to access exercises.
Examples
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐝 一群人排队买蜂蜜。 | Yī qún rén páiduì mǎi fēngmì. | A crowd of people lined up to buy honey. | 人群 |
| 🐝 几个朋友在公园里放风筝。 | Jǐ gè péngyǒu zài gōngyuán lǐ fàng fēngzheng. | A few friends are flying kites in the park. | 朋友几个 |
| 🐝 教室里坐着一排学生。 | Jiàoshì lǐ zuò zhe yī pái xuéshēng. | A row of students is sitting in the classroom. | 排（行） |
| 🐝 公园里飞来了一群蜜蜂。 | Gōngyuán lǐ fēi lái le yī qún mìfēng. | A swarm of bees flew into the park. | 蜂群 |
| 🐝 树上停着一串果子。 | Shù shàng tíng zhe yī chuàn guǒzi. | A bunch of fruit is hanging on the tree. | 串 |
| 🐝 桌子上放着一堆书和几张纸。 | Zhuōzi shàng fàng zhe yī duī shū hé jǐ zhāng zhǐ. | A pile of books and some sheets of paper are on the table. | 堆 |
| 🐝 我买了一打蜂蜜饼干。 | Wǒ mǎi le yī dǎ fēngmì bǐnggān. | I bought a dozen honey cookies. | 打 |
| 🐝 店里挂着几排灯笼，像花海一样。 | Diàn lǐ guà zhe jǐ pái dēnglóng, xiàng huā hǎi yīyàng. | Several rows of lanterns hung in the store, like a sea of flowers. | 排 |
Summary
Collective nouns in Mandarin rely on measure words and specific group terms to name units of people, animals, or things. Learning common classifiers and group nouns makes descriptions more natural and precise.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025